Keeping Lies
by ShadowBlah2
Summary: Lelouch would betray the whole world, just as it had betrayed him. That's what Suzaku had said. But in the end, perhaps it was the reverse.
1. Keeping Lies 1: Return of the King

**R2 Episode 22: The King's Game-I**

A full month had passed since the shocking return of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, and, what could legitimately be called, his usurping of the Imperial Throne. He'd been largely forgotten for years, just one of many princes and princesses sired by Charles zi Britannia who came into being then were lost, either to death or to living inconsequential lives within the Imperial Palace. He himself had been presumed to have died during the 2010 Britannian-Japanese Trade War, or colloquially the Second Pacific War, but upon the revelation that Nunnally vi Britannia, his sister, still lived, his name came back into conversation, and it was generally assumed he might turn up alive as well one day and reclaim his birthright.

Little could anyone guess that the rail-thin man, barely out of boyhood, his noble purple gaze belying a smoldering hatred and dark vengeance, would ever come back to his people in such a manner, declaring himself king and demanding the entire Imperial Court simply accept it. The former Emperor Charles was dead, he explained, killed by his hand, and on that basis should he be most qualified to rule, against the official laws of succession. In fact it was Odysseus eu Britannia, the Crown Prince and first son of Charles, who was to inherit their shared father's vast kingdom. Yet when Lelouch appeared, walking out in front of the masses of nobility and royal brothers and sisters to sit upon the Emperor's throne, Odysseus immediately spoke out in favour of his younger brother - an act not out of character for such a mild and hesitant heir - and with his opinion carrying so much weight the others of the court were forced in turn to accept their new ruler.

At least, that was how it was perceived by most people in the world, the thought that Lelouch had somehow compelled them to obey not crossing their minds.

As time eventually proved though, despite his patricidal takeover of the Empire, Emperor Lelouch had the makings of a compassionate and just king, his first act being to abolish the Number System and create protections for the now-free colonial subjects. He allowed them to practice small aspects of their local cultures that would be beneficial to the Empire, encouraging them to remember and appreciate their origins, though simultaneously gave incentives to integrate fully as Britannian citizens - a small compromise that echoed of the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan.

Under Lelouch's rule the nobility was stripped of its traditional powers, specifically the right to a retinue of troops and special treatment before the law. It was his order that no Britannian should maintain a standing army that could be used to intimidate his neighbours or subvert the rule of law, which, he insisted, all Britannians should be equally bound before, and expect equal punishments for deviation, no matter their lineage or position in society.

In regards to the islands of Japan, Emperor Lelouch released them as a sovereign state under the name originally chosen by Zero, the United States of Japan, even recommending the use of the flag Zero had designed and unveiled to the UFN much earlier to great applause. It was a tribute to the old state of Japan while considering all the turmoil it had since endured - a red sun on a white horizon, black wings representing the Black Knights unfurling to its either side and lifting it to freedom. This was all done, he explained, in respect for the late Zero, whose heroic defiance in the face of tyranny was what had inspired him to destroy his father and make Britannia a force for good.

The similarity to Princess Euphemia li Britannia's original stated desires for a kinder and gentler Empire aside, these actions, among so many more, greatly endeared Lelouch to the wider public of Britannia, as well as to the leaders and peoples of the UFN, and especially the USJ. While the Pink Princess had claimed she wanted peace, she had used her SAZ plan to gather as many Elevens that would be the most likely to rebel into one place, and ordered them all to be killed as a message to those who remained: Japan as a nation was gone, and the Elevens should never even consider its return.

Lelouch however had appeared almost out of nowhere, and began making promises just like Euphemia had, but actually followed through on them. He had no past scandals to account for, made no reference to his association to Cornelia, among the world's most famous and bloodthirsty generals in over a century, and really, didn't seem to have a past to begin with. He would not speak of it in interviews or during speeches. If anything, he seemed to imply that his very existence had only begun the moment he took the Crown for himself.

He was a blank slate onto which the people could assign their hopes and dreams in a way no other prominent royal had or could ever hope to match. He was Britannian, but he was good, and only good, with no crimes to be blamed for and no history to scrutinize. And perhaps it was because of this so many people were so able to trust him.

Lelouch - quickly acquiring the moniker of 'the Reformer' - was not universally loved though. The Empire's nobility understandably and predictably resented the new emperor for his policies, especially those that came at the cost of their privilege, and before they were forced to dismiss their personal levies of troops, many nobles declared open rebellion against his rule.

For a brief but terrifying few weeks Britannia descended into scattered and sporadic fighting between Imperial loyalists and traitor nobles, the insurrections, if counted as a singular uprising, practically amounting to a civil war. Unfortunately for the various dukes and earls and others though, who dared assume Lelouch to be soft and quick to capitulate to pressure, they were all either vanquished or arrested for treason, one after another, their uprisings isolated incidents, and thus being easily crushed in succession by the weight of the Imperial war machine.

The last dying gasp of the former Britannia - Charles' Britannia - came when the remaining Knights of the Round Table rallied a small force of men and knightmares equipped with Float packs, and mounted an assault on the Britannian capital itself with the intention of killing Lelouch and placing a puppet in his place on the throne. They were over a hundred strong, and with the custom 8th Generation knightmares belonging to Sir Bismarck, Sir Gino, Sir Dorothea, and Sir Monica among them, they descended upon Pendragon City with fierce pride and absolute certainty of their victory.

The world watched as news cameras and civilians in the streets streamed the Knights' bold attack on Lelouch's seat of power, all wondering if the Emperor's rule would be so short-lived, and most unsure if they'd be pleased if it was. But before anyone could truly realize what was occurring and contemplate the significance of it, the Knights still loyal to Charles were met just outside the city proper by a single Imperial KMF; the Lancelot, in all its blood-chilling white and gold glory, and its pilot, none other than Suzaku Kururugi, who alone challenged the entire rebel host in battle.

It was all over in but a few moments. The Lancelot had been rebuilt, its newest incarnation bearing the operational title 'Albion', and between its overwhelming technological superiority and the cunning and sheer violence of Sir Kururugi, the traitorous forces led by Sir Bismarck were routed, killed almost to a man. Bismarck himself had fought on to the end, but even Charles' greatest Knight was no match for Lelouch's own, and after trading several blows, Suzaku, the Knight of Zero, a title only he would ever carry, slew the former Knight of One, making it absolutely clear that the rise of Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia could not be undone.

And in the wake of all this, proving at every turn that his will was unshakable and his rule was law, what seemed unthinkable: Lelouch volunteered the Holy Britannian Empire to join the United Federation of Nations, which, if his proposal was accepted, would bind the world together like never before.

Only one month had passed and already Lelouch vi Britannia had become a sensational figure to rival even Zero - an icon for justice not just to millions across the globe, but even to his own people in the Empire. And with his declaration of intention to join the UFN, it was no exaggeration to say he was taking the final step to bringing about world peace.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The site where the leaders of the UFN and Emperor Lelouch decided to meet was Japan as it was technically neutral after being freed as a colony of Britannia. More specifically, Lelouch insisted that it be conducted at Ashford Academy since it was an entirely civilian facility with no ties to any particular faction, was spacious and elegantly built, and also was mostly intact after the frightful end to the battle now being called the Second Black Rebellion.

The day of the meeting arrived and the sun hung high, casting a warm glow across what was left of Tokyo and a long shadow across the empty pit created by FLEIJA. Outside the school a transparent perimeter wall had been erected and dozens of Black Knight guards had been posted to keep order around it. Thousands of people, Japanese and former Britannian colonists alike, had come to witness this historic event, and hopefully even catch a glimpse of the Emperor in person, and they pushed and shoved eagerly to get closer for a better look beyond the security fence.

Inside the perimeter even more Black Knights stood by, covering every entrance or exit to the school, by every fountain and tree and around every corner. The Ashford students meanwhile had been temporarily evicted from their dorms and classes had been cancelled, leaving the entire campus oddly silent and still, the disciplined, unmoving ranks of black and silver-clad guards almost blending in with the statues and monuments littering the grounds.

Largely, the Black Knights were in favour of Lelouch, just as most people were, his efforts to promote freedom and order, where before Britannia clung to every tradition no matter how medieval, highlighting the stark differences between himself and the previous king. Charles zi Britannia had a virtually endless list of crimes attached to his name, ranging from arbitrary edicts, obstruction of justice, the numerous war crimes ordered to be carried out by his troops, all the way to a growing disinterest in actually ruling to begin with. He had been well-liked by Britannians, though his popularity had started to wane after Zero first appeared, but now his legacy was that of tyranny beyond any of his predecessors, and attempts to vilify him even further came from every direction. Lelouch could have done nothing and been a welcome improvement to his father, yet he toiled, fighting against the current of the Britannian aristocracy and Britannian culture itself, and for that he shone brighter, and his reputation only grew taller with every passing day.

The Black Knight High Command however was not so trusting of the new emperor. They knew secrets about him that they dared not share, and with his every action they saw cold manipulation hiding behind altruism. Lelouch had attained a great deal of power by becoming Emperor, and his reforms earned him incredible popularity, but all that was likely only a first step to accomplishing something grander and more dastardly. Or else it was a mere distraction so the world would not notice what evil he committed from the shadows.

For he had been Zero, the one who challenged Britannia and almost brought it to its knees all on a whim; who used nations like pawns and cast spells that stole people's minds.

There was no way the Black Knight leadership could trust Lelouch, his innocent request to join the UFN seeming to them the perfect opportunity for betrayal, and thus they had prepared all of their might for this day. The flagship KMF carrier Ikaruga hovered in the sky over Ashford Academy, all guns ready and Akatsukis standing by to be deployed from its depths at a moment's notice. Traffic had been cut off to the school, guarded by infantry and knightmares, and Captain Kozuki herself, along with her Guren SEITEN stood in attendance by the academy's front entrance, waiting for the Emperor to arrive.

Eventually he did, a flamboyantly painted and unarmed airship appearing over the horizon, flanked by grey VTOL transports, and the crowd outside the school roared and applauded in response.

The airships took their time flying, no doubt asking permission for landing, and passing codes back and forth between the Ikaruga, but they arrived above Ashford soon enough and made a slow descent to the tiled ground of the academy courtyard below. Everyone outside the perimeter wall watched on as the doors to the main Britannian transport opened, the 99th ruler of the Empire stepping unhurriedly out, back straight and eyes forward, appearing every bit the embodiment of Imperial authority and grace.

Lelouch vi Britannia was tall and dignified, night-black hair contrasting pale skin and deep purple eyes. He was dressed in white pants and shirt and coat, embroidered with shining silver thread and festooned with emeralds, held tight about his slim form with burnished golden buttons and chains. An extravagant white cravat was around his neck, an emerald at its center, and heavy robes hung over his shoulders, red - the colour of blood - and lined in gold thread and covered in yet more dangling green jewels.

The crowd cheered at the sight of him, louder than ever, wonder in their eyes, and not even the Black Knights could help but to glance away from their duties to look upon him in awe.

The doors to the other transports opened and several Imperial Guardsmen in grey uniforms and white capes marched out, a single emerald dangling from each their belts. Immediately they took watchful positions before their airships and the Emperor's own, and two formed up at his either side protectively. Lelouch only waved them off with a small smile of apparent embarrassment, and they bowed and stepped back, allowing him to begin walking toward the school on his own.

The masses outside the perimeter wall howled in delight and screamed their praises at how humble and brave the Emperor was to go without guards, and he turned his head, casting his gaze upon them and smiling as he walked, raising a hand daintily into the air in greeting and acknowledgement.

"Lelouch!"

There came a single call from the crowd that rang out as different from the others. A boy with blue hair and dressed in the uniform of Ashford had climbed atop the wall while the guards weren't looking, trying desperately to catch the Emperor's attention. His face was pleading and his voice was desperate.

"I need to know the truth, Lelouch!" he called, catching the young king's attention. "Why didn't you ever tell me who you were?"

He was swiftly pulled down by a couple of guards for daring to intrude into a secure area, but before he could be arrested a girl poked her head between the others watching in the crowd and grabbed hold of him herself. To Lelouch she appeared to be vouching for him and trying to get him out of there before he could get himself into any more trouble.

He raised a brow.

'Rivalz and Nina?' Lelouch wondered to himself silently. 'Why would they...?'

Nina seemed to have had some success in convincing the guards to let them both leave in peace, but they were stopped as a shout came from the school courtyard, every other voice going silent in response.

"You two." It was Lelouch. He was staring right at them. Did he know them as the schoolboy claimed? No one could be sure, but the crowd parted around them instinctively to allow Lelouch a better view, and in hopes he might clarify his intentions for addressing them. "You're both Britannian, aren't you?"

Rivalz and Nina looked back and forth as the others around them stepped away and even the Black Knights withdrew. They held each other in fear and followed the sound of Lelouch's voice to look up the grassy hill and steps to the courtyard where their Emperor stood.

"Lelouch," Rivalz began, "you know me, right?"

Nina jerked anxiously on Rivalz's jacket.

"C'mon, Rivalz, let's get out of here."

Lelouch looked down at the other teenagers, his former friends before life became so strangely complicated, and considered: He hadn't expected this kind of meeting. He would have a use for Nina soon, and even had a plan ready to force her into his employment. He had thought she would never show her face in public again considering how many people knew she'd invented FLEIJA and were desperate to either murder her for it or enslave her to create more. But here she was giving him an even better opportunity.

And this was also a chance to get Rivalz out of Tokyo before...

"Black Knights, bring those two to me."

Lelouch was not their liege, but he was a figure of authority and the UFN's guest of honour, so the Knights complied, the two closest opening the fence and beckoning the students through to meet with their king.

Rivalz, though rather confused about all this, still gladly ran through the gap to see his friend, and Nina grudgingly followed after, fearful of all the eyes set squarely upon her. It was bad enough that she was going to be the center of attention for being given a personal audience with Lelouch vi Britannia, but if she turned and fled, she knew, it could only be worse.

"Lelouch, buddy!" Rivalz ran up the white stone steps leading into the courtyard, arms outstretched, then was met with the unrelenting figure of an Imperial Guardsman standing between him and his friend.

"We shall speak later, Student," Lelouch said politely, though with no familiarity entering his tone. "My men will accompany you into my transport. You will both wait for me there."

Rivalz was about to say something, his smile turning sideways in bemusement, before the Guardsman placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Another Imperial Guard took up position beside Nina, arriving behind Rivalz, and copied the gesture. It was not to harm them, but hold them in place, and the two students watched in a mix of puzzlement and despair, wondering what their fate was to be, as Lelouch turned away from them, continuing on his way toward the school entrance.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

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	2. Keeping Lies 2: The Empire Strikes Back

**R2 Episode 22: The King's Game-II**

Kallen watched from her post near the school's front door as the altercation with Rivalz and Nina occurred, paying close attention to Lelouch and trying to make sense of his actions. Nothing added up anymore. Was he still a hero? Or had he ever been one to begin with? These questions knawed at her, and with every passing second being so close to him again, she became more nervous, more impatient, desperate to ask him directly and know the truth.

She walked out to meet Lelouch halfway, stopping between a set of deactivated fountains and waiting for him to approach.

"Lelouch," she began when he finally stopped before her, her voice quiet and despondent, "tell me why-"

"Nice to meet you." He cut her off mid-sentence, speaking just as politely as he had with Rivalz, yet, once again, his tone not conveying any sort of warmth. "You're Captain Kallen Kozuki, a leader of the Black Knights, are you not?"

Kallen felt like her heart was breaking. Lelouch wouldn't acknowledge that he knew her, and it hurt her in a way she never thought it would. Why wouldn't he though?

When she thought about it, she supposed it did make sense that he might be trying to distance himself from her while all eyes and cameras were on him, perhaps to avoid raising questions about his past that could lead back to his identity as Zero. It didn't make the interaction any less uncomfortable though.

The redhead steeled herself and answered, playing along for now, no matter how difficult it proved to be.

"That's right. I'm here to escort you safely to the conference."

"Fine." He turned away to inspect the school grounds before continuing. "Do you mind if we take the long way around? I am feeling a bit anxious about this. A little walk might be helpful."

Kallen blinked in surprise before her face fell, hating herself as doubt crept into her mind. What were Lelouch's intentions? After saving him at Babel Tower, she felt like she'd finally gotten to know him, at least well enough to be confident about his character. But now, just like before the day of his re-awakening, in the early days of the Black Knights, his mind was a complete mystery to her. And it stung badly.

"I understand," she answered him with sadness and reluctance heavy in her tone. She suddenly felt like he could see right through her, and she looked toward the school as casually as she could manage. "Please follow me."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The two of them, Lelouch and Kallen, made their way around to the back of the school, giving them both ample opportunity to admire the beauty and thoughtful design of the academy, and silently remember the days they spent there, each living double lives, surrounded by friends yet still completely alone.

The school was empty inside giving them a rare privacy, and as they entered and walked through the silent halls Kallen glanced back at Lelouch, finally sure it was safe to speak freely with him. She started slowly, with warmth, thanking him, for she knew she would have died long ago without his intervention. So much could not have happened without Lelouch - so much good - yet now things had spiraled out of control. Nothing made sense anymore. The sides had been so clean before - good and evil, black and white - but now everything was blurred. Lelouch was with Britannia now, and Suzaku, his sworn enemy, who, as time went on had brought his once-friend to a breaking point of screaming fury that could only be quelled with blood, now bent the knee before him.

As Kallen spoke her words began to come quicker and with more emotion, all her feelings spilling out and being laid bare before Lelouch, and as they ascended the staircase that led to the upper level gymnasium, she suddenly stopped and spun to face him, tears starting at the corner of her eyes.

"Lelouch, after everything we've been through, what do I mean to you? On the day you left the Ikaruga you told me 'Kallen, you have to live!'"

She paused, her heavy breathing the only sound in the empty hall. Lelouch showed no overt reaction to her pleas for answers, yet despite this he couldn't seem to look her in the eye.

Kallen watched him, waiting for some reaction, and when she received none she took a step down to him, in a single motion throwing her arms around him and pulling his lips to hers.

Time seemed to slow, Kallen's body pressing against Lelouch, but there was no warmth in the moment. She tried to pour as much feeling into her kiss as was possible, imagining, aware of how silly it was, that perhaps with this he could truly know her.

Yet Lelouch did not respond, and she eventually released him to give him one last chance to say something. Her eyes shimmered, begging him for an answer and searching his face for some kind of sign that she'd gotten through to him. Yet his expression did not change.

She was just about to give up hope when...

"Kallen, do you trust me?"

Lelouch spoke. He spoke to her directly, with no fake enthusiasm, and Kallen gasped, not believing her own ears. As if some secret switch had been flipped inside her, all self-control fled from the Captain of Zero Squad, and she threw up her hands and bawled and shouted.

"I don't know! First you're Zero, then you aren't because you have _amnesia_!? Then you tell me you're not controlling me, but actually I was a pawn all along!?" Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks, yet she didn't stop, all her thoughts coming out into speech, frantic and accusing. "I don't care anymore! I just don't! I don't care about Britannia, I don't care about the Black Knights - I just don't know when everything got so complicated! I don't even know which side is which anymore!"

It felt to Kallen like her body was draining, all her energy entwining with her emotion and seeping into her words, and as she continued she shook her head, as if physically lost.

"The Black Knights are cozying up to Schneizel, and now all of a sudden _Suzaku's_ working for you? But you..." She paused to stare longingly at Lelouch amid the tears staining her vision. "You're still Zero. You are, aren't you?"

Kallen's chest heaved, drawing in deep breaths, and she stared down at Lelouch, her body feeling somehow lighter for having been allowed to simply vent all her thoughts, no matter how disorganized. So much authority had been placed upon her, and so many troubles along with it. All she wanted was to throw it all away. If it meant having some certainty in her life again, she'd abandon everything in an instant.

"So long as you're Zero," she said, slightly calmer now, her voice a mere wobble, "my place is by your side, even if I am just a pawn. Just give me a reason - any reason! You don't even have to tell me what it is. Lie to me if you have to! Just please, tell me there's a reason for me to believe in you!"

Lelouch said nothing, but finally was able to meet her gaze, his purple eyes looking into the blue of her own. Just as quickly he looked away, his face still devoid of any real expression. He took a step, then another, walking up the stairs and passing Kallen by, who turned in dismay to watch him go. But once he stood at the top, he stopped, his back to her, and he answered.

"There is a reason."

Kallen had to catch herself as her legs lost all their strength, falling forward upon her hands and knees onto the staircase, unsure if she could trust what she was hearing. Lelouch was... He was still Lelouch. She knew it. Somehow she just did. Whether what he'd been accused of was accurate or not, whatever crime Ohgi and the others pinned to him, Lelouch was still a hero, and he'd always been. She was sure of it now. She knew she should still be sceptical, and weigh the proofs for and against him, but in that moment it didn't matter to her. He'd spoken as the Lelouch she knew, and that was enough to wash away all her doubts.

"It might be selfish of me, Kallen," Lelouch added after a moment's pause, "but may I give you one last order as Zero?"

Kallen stayed silent, still in shock. Yes. A hundred times yes! Orders from Zero were all she wanted - what she craved to make things simple like they were before. He would give his command, seemingly nonsensical or audacious to an extreme, and she would carry it out. And some amazing victory would follow, as it always did. And yet...

He turned to face her once more.

"Go home."

'Go... Home?' she wondered, unable to make sense of Lelouch's order.

"Leave the Black Knights. I, Zero, hereby honourably discharge you, Kallen Kozuki, from the Order of the Black Knights and from my service."

But why? Why?

Kallen pushed herself shakily to her feet and crept up the stairs. Lelouch watched her carefully, examining her movements and finding meaning there, and a spark of understanding came to his eye.

"You have to live," he explained. "That's why..."

He trailed off, and Kallen stopped just before the final step to the hallway's upper level where he stood. For a brief, fantastical moment she'd felt like the world was in perfect alignment once more, but now it all tumbled back apart in her mind.

He was sending her away. He didn't want her by his side. Because he wanted to protect her? But why? What did she mean to him? And why couldn't he trust her like he did before? What had changed? Why...?

"I see..." she said finally, her head hanging low, her voice tinged with resignation.

The Black Knight ace slowly removed her black and silver sidecap and stared at it with empty eyes. This was finally it, wasn't it?

Taking a deep breath, Kallen climbed the last step of the staircase and stood before Lelouch, and forced herself to look him in the eye. She held out her cap to him, and he glanced down before taking it without a word. She tightened her whole body, willing herself to be brave, and snapped a hand into a crisp salute, then turned, silently making her way back down to ground level.

Lelouch looked down, his regal purple eyes studying his former bodyguard's sidecap. He traced its silver outline with his gaze and felt the fabric in his fingers. Kallen was at the bottom of the stairs by now, almost to the huge gilded double doors leading back toward the entrance, and without meaning to he called out to her.

"Wait... Kallen!"

The former Black Knight stopped in her tracks and whipped back to regard Lelouch, surprise and hope filling her features. The Emperor hesitated, his mouth hanging slightly ajar as if to speak, and stared back at her longingly.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The Ashford gymnasium was the largest open space inside the academy, the ballroom in the Student Council building coming in second, and because of this it was deemed the best place to hold the conference between the UFN and Britannia. It had been hastily converted for political use, long tables for the various representatives to sit behind put into place, and extra wiring built in between the walls and floor to accommodate the numerous electronics that would be needed during the meeting. Of course this would be televised, so cameras were installed so all the world could see, everyone had been given a microphone, and yet other unseen tech was prepared so everything would proceed smoothly.

Kaguya Sumeragi, the Chairwoman for the UFN, sat in attendance behind a long podium at one end of the gym with the other member representatives situated along its each side. UFN flags were draped across the walls, quite incongruous next to the equipment for high school sports, but overall there was an appearance of formality, and everyone there was taking all this very seriously. The only problem was Lelouch vi Britannia, who seemed to have been held up, leaving everyone waiting.

Eventually he came in through the gym's far door, appearing though to have somehow lost his red robes along the way since entering the school. Automated cameras installed around the room focused in on him as he strode in and straight through the middle of the gym with a casual ease that made women watching the broadcast swoon. A rounded table was set up for him in the very center and he approached it gracefully, finding a pen and papers, a bottle of water, a laptop, and headphones to listen in case translation from another representative was necessary, all being present for his use.

While Lelouch set about organizing his space, Kaguya brought the meeting to order, and formalities such as introductions were conducted, her voice blaring around the gym from speakers installed at its every corner. All the while the Japanese princess kept her sights on Lelouch, watching him for any sign that he could be up to something. She'd loved him, at least, that's what she thought. When they were young she'd promised to marry him, and when she thought him long dead, she'd promised to marry him once again under his identity of Zero, not knowing he was the man behind the mask all along.

It was destiny. They were fated for each other. Or that's what she would have liked. But she knew. She knew Lelouch was vile and uncaring and cruel. All the evidence brought before her after the announcement that Zero had died, concluding that it had been the Black Prince all along, using Japan and the world for some sick game of real-life chess, had made it clear that Lelouch vi Britannia was undeserving of her affection, and beyond changing with mere feminine wiles.

The initial phase of the meeting concluded, and Kaguya addressed Lelouch, giving him his turn to speak. It now fell upon him to give his proposal, the whole reason for requesting this audience to begin with. He didn't shrink in the slightest as all the other world leaders surrounding him silently scrutinized him, and people from every corner of the earth watched on in anticipation. He set his eyes on Kaguya, the girl flinching as their eyes met, and made his bold declaration.

"Chairman Kaguya Sumeragi of the UFN Supreme Council," he said, voice full with confidence, "I desire that the Holy Britannian Empire participates in the United Federation of Nations."

Like the leadership of the Black Knights Kaguya dreaded what Lelouch had planned, whatever that may have been. She'd discussed the matter with them at length, deciding his ultimate objective was world domination, and although Xingke had his doubts, they'd settled on the two most likely reasons that he would ask for this conference to be held. For one, if he could convince them to let Britannia join, he could control it with sheer voting power, and by extension, the whole world. Alternatively, it was a trap to use his Geass on them - to force them to obey and sell out their alliance to him without even putting up a struggle.

Of course, as Xingke insisted, those methods of achieving total control were obvious and direct, and a master strategist such as Lelouch would only use them as bait, mere feints to draw his opponents into action that could be exploited later. Unfortunately, without any idea what Lelouch really intended, and with no way to guess - his mind incomprehensible and his options almost unlimited - Xingke eventually agreed with Kaguya and his fellow Black Knight officers that they could do nothing but prepare for the worst and try to spring Lelouch's trap.

"Do you understand that participation is dependent upon a two-third majority vote of UFN members?" Kaguya put on a brave face despite her fear of Lelouch, and what he could do to her with his power: Geass - the ability to compel anyone to do anything. Lelouch on the other hand was perfectly at ease, and he answered simply.

"Of course. That's the democratic way of doing things, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Kaguya touched a button on her podium and panels in the waxed wooden gym floor opened, mechanisms built solely for this occasion becoming active, and long metallic walls rose around Lelouch to trap him inside. They were blank and unadorned except for screens built into them, one for each side of the enclosure, both inner and outer, though they weren't turned on just yet.

The rest of the UFN whispered amongst themselves at this sight, none of them being informed ahead of time Lelouch would be isolated during the meeting, and finding the whole situation rather odd and suspicious. It didn't look good for Kaguya, but she reasoned it was necessary; with this, Lelouch would be at her mercy, and if he pulled any tricks he wouldn't be able to escape.

But once the walls had gone up and Lelouch was alone, he showed no surprise nor any distress at all.

'Geass countermeasures, huh?' he thought to himself, only allowing his brow to twitch in amusement, his expression otherwise completely neutral. 'Well, now it's clear that only Kaguya and the core members of the Black Knights know about Geass.'

He really didn't expect for Kaguya to tell the rest of the UFN about his power. Getting them to believe it would be a miracle. More likely it would only make her look crazy, even if all the leaders of the Black Knights supported her. Not to mention it could raise some questions about her history with him, and how she knew about the Power of the King, all leading back to him being Zero and also that he was betrayed by his own officers.

If somehow she had told them, and convinced them about his ability, he doubted any of the UFN leaders would have shown up to begin with. They could have contrived a reason to hold the meeting over the internet and avoided seeing his demonic eyes. It would have saved a lot of taxpayer money setting up this event and probably even yielding better results, streaming it live to the whole world being as easy as hitting a single button. But here they were, staying formal to the end, and going to the extra trouble to prevent him from using Geass only confirmed his predictions.

One of the screens on the inside of the metal walls enclosing Lelouch turned on, harsh white light illuminating his anti-Geass prison. Displayed upon it was none other than Kaguya, no longer bearing the diplomatic smile reserved for the formality of the conference, but scowling in disdain into the camera built into her podium and transmitting her image to him.

"Now," she began, her voice filled with condemnation, "what are you really trying to do here, Treacherous Emperor Lelouch?"

Lelouch's lips twisted into a frown that reached his eyes at her taunt. He glanced around himself, inspecting his cage, then turned his glare upon Kaguya and gestured at the metal walls around him.

"What's going on? What is all this?"

Another screen flashed on in front of Lelouch, Xingke appearing aboard the Ikaruga.

"Do you take us for fools, Lelouch?" he growled. Apparently he had access to the line of communication between the Emperor and the UFN Chairwoman. "We couldn't refuse your request to come here, but that doesn't mean we couldn't take measures against you."

"Lord Xingke as well?" Lelouch's frown deepened. "Just what is this all about? Why have you locked me in here and started insulting me?"

Lelouch's frustrated response was not the one Xingke appeared to have expected, and Kaguya interjected on his behalf.

"You know why, Lelouch. We weren't about to let you use your Geass."

In reply, the Britannian Emperor shook his head in confusion and glared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

Kaguya froze, taken aback.

"Your Geass power," she prompted, raising her voice.

"Are you talking about geas? That's Old Britannian mythology." Lelouch appeared genuinely perplexed by the girl's line of questioning before his frown returned and his brow furrowed in annoyance. "Let me out of here!"

Something was off. The UFN Chairwoman knew it, but just couldn't place her finger on it. Was Lelouch really denying any knowledge of Geass? Why? What good would it serve him now to feign innocence when she and the Black Knights already knew his guilt?

Her thoughts were interrupted as another screen switched on in front of Lelouch, this time showing Ohgi, also aboard the Ikaruga.

"You're not going anywhere just yet, Lelouch. There's something we need to clear up first."

Another screen turned on, then another and another until Lelouch was surrounded on all sides by the leaders of the Black Knights, all glaring down upon him in contempt. On the other side of the enclosure the screens turned on as well, lighting up to finally broadcast the image of the king standing within.

The speakers set around the gym came to life once more, the voice of Li Xingke coming through to begin outlining the procedure for passing UFN resolutions for Lelouch, all but Kaguya being left completely unaware of the previous private questioning he'd had been subjected to.

"UFN resolutions are always determined by majority vote."

Tohdoh's voice came next, gruff as usual, but otherwise without emotion.

"Voting rights are apportioned according to each member nation's population."

Then Xingke again.

"The Chinese Federation has been broken up, so the nation with the largest population in the world now-"

Then Ohgi.

"-is Britannia."

One by one they took turns explaining to Lelouch what they surmised about him and his reason for asking to join the UFN, watching him on consoles from the safety of the Ikaruga, and Kaguya from her place at the front of the gym, searching the Emperor's face all the while for a telltale smirk, or other acknowledgement that they'd caught him red-handed. Yet, as they finished, Kaguya delivering their conclusion that he intended control the world, no cracks were visible in Lelouch's mask of growing offense.

"Break up your empire," Xingke demanded at last. "Let your territories to secede from Britannia. Or limit your total votes to twenty percent. Those are your options."

There was a moment of silence as all the world waited for Lelouch's answer. And then...

"I came here in good faith," he hissed ominously from inside the metal barrier raised around him, "to this neutral territory of Japan - neutral because it was released from Britannia by myself, and no one else - so I could speak with the UFN to create a more solid and permanent peace between our nations."

Lelouch's voice was level, though laced with indignation, but as he continued more venom seeped into his tone.

"And THIS is how you respond?" He gestured around himself at the walls keeping him trapped. "I'm fully aware of how votes are conducted! It's a topic we could have discussed. Instead, the Black Knights lock me inside this cage then proceed to besmirch my character. Then they issue me an ultimatum as if I were a foe and not the UFN's guest!?"

Kaguya could only blink in dull surprise at Lelouch's reaction. She thought she'd been prepared for it, whatever it may have been, but this was all too peculiar. Rather than throw a smoke bomb and escape with an evil laugh, or have Black Knight troopers under his spell run in shooting, or anything she'd come to expect from the man who had been Zero, he was fully committing to his character as Emperor Lelouch, as if he really had never heard of Geass, and had no prior history with the Black Knights at all.

"Emperor Lelouch," she addressed him into her microphone, attempting to stay professional despite her rising unease.

Unfortunately this only managed to irritate him further.

"I asked to be let out of here and I was refused!"

On one of the screens in front of Lelouch, Ohgi thumped his hands down against his console, disgust written into his face.

"Emperor Lelouch-!"

Lelouch cut him off.

"Supreme Commander Ohgi Kaname of the Order of the Black Knights." He stated Ohgi's name and title in full, articulating every syllable with barely reserved scorn. "I will not be lectured by you any more. The Black Knights have no right to intrude on this conference. They're a military group, not a political body! Yet you dare to intercede in political affairs and treat the Emperor of Britannia with such indecency!?"

With this, Lelouch cast a hard glare at the various leaders of the Black Knights and Kaguya displayed on the screens around him one at a time, cold fury and menace gleaming in his eyes.

"I want to know: Just what did you hope to accomplish by imprisoning me like this?"

The image of Kaguya onscreen shook her head at Lelouch. They'd already explained this. It was to prevent him from using Geass - the same Geass he'd denied any knowledge of possessing. But while that may have been the true reason for isolating him, the public was watching now, and she didn't dare bring up the supernatural in front of them.

"Due to past hostilities with Britannia-"

Again Lelouch interrupted, this time more loudly, refusing to hear her excuse.

"The crimes of Charles zi Britannia are not my own! I have done nothing to deserve such hostility and disrespect, and nor will I suffer it!"

As the Black King's temper appeared to sour ever more, something about his words stood out to Kaguya. Then, all at once, understanding hit her like a thunderclap. Her eyes went wide and she paled as her mind caught up with just what Lelouch was doing, made all the worse for her knowing it was already far too late to stop him.

Then, no sooner had Kaguya come to that realization, the screens displaying Lelouch for the UFN abruptly switched off.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL


	3. Keeping Lies 3: The Dark Knight Rises

**R2 Episode 22: The King's Game-III**

Aboard the Ikaruga all eyes snapped to Xingke, his hand on his control panel where he'd activated the emergency shutdown of the UFN's live broadcast. Originally it had been intended in case Lelouch managed to somehow cast his Geass upon anyone who saw his eyes, even if it wasn't in person. His power was an unknown quantity to the Black Knights - was it purely magical? What were its limitations? - and they had wanted to be prepared for anything. Now though was almost as much of an emergency.

"Xingke!" Ohgi spun to face the General Commander. "Why'd you hit the shutoff?"

"He has us!" Xingke seemed frozen in horror at his realization, and he repeated himself, in utter disbelief at how easily they'd been duped. "Lelouch has us right where he wants us!"

The carrier's bridge was filled with every major officer in the Black Knights, Commander Ohgi, General Commander Xingke and Hong Gu and Xianglin, General Tohdoh and Chiba Nagisa, Rakshata, Tamaki and Minami and Sugiyama, and even Villetta Nu all in attendance. The crew began to murmur amongst themselves at Xingke's conclusion, and among them only Tamaki was brazen or unaware enough to question him.

"I don't get it. I mean, yeah, he's talkin' a lot of smack, but in the end he's still stuck down there, right? So how does that mean we're the ones in trouble?"

Xingke hung his head as he recalled Lelouch's first month as Emperor. There'd been a pattern to everything he did - that much had been clear from the start - but it ran deeper than anyone noticed, and that was probably Lelouch's intention all along. It wasn't just the words Lelouch said or the actions he took, but the way he smiled, the way he dressed... No matter how seemingly inconsequential it all was at the time, everything was...

"Everything was leading up to this moment," Xingke said through a shudder. "A man betrayed shall have all know where guilt lies."

Tohdoh's usually stern demeanor faltered, only Chiba noticing the wrinkles around his eyes deepening, the only clue that he understood Xingke's words and what they entailed.

"What a shameful deceit."

"Hey!" Again Tamaki interjected. "What's the big deal, huh?"

Knowing he wouldn't shut up otherwise, Xingke glanced in Tamaki's direction, his brow creased in exasperation.

"Lelouch put us in checkmate a long time ago and we didn't even know it! No matter what we did, his victory was always assured. Either we refused his request to meet with the UFN and be seen as against peace, or we allowed it, and let him get close to the world's leaders to use Geass. We protected them, but doing so has put us in a position for Lelouch to denounce us endlessly and seem completely justified-" Xingke paused to growl, "-because from the world's point of view, he is."

Apparently this was enough for Tamaki to get the message, and his jaw dropped.

"Wha...! That no good Brit! I always knew he was trouble!"

"Xingke," Oghi began cautiously, "you don't seriously mean to say...?"

By now it had all sunk in for the Ikaruga's bridge crew, and no one felt like saying anything. Even Rakshata simply lounged on her couch and sucked on her pipe, not making so much as a quip.

Too late the Black Knights realized the mess they'd been thrown into, and come to understand their struggling against it had only made the situation worse. It was true, as far as they knew, that Lelouch had manipulated them and others, and murdered and betrayed his way as Zero to intoxicating heights of power. But they were also the only ones who knew that to be the case. All Lelouch had to do was deny he'd ever done anything wrong and the public would accept it. And in turn, the Black Knights who claimed his wrongdoing would only tarnish their own reputation for doing so.

Because Emperor Lelouch was a hero. The Black Knights had seemingly led him into a trap and intimidated and insulted him repeatedly, on top of overstepping their legal authority to intrude on a UFN meeting. All of this, and not bothering to ask permission from the UFN to which they were legally obliged. And it had been broadcasted live for everyone to see.

Tamaki threw out his hands in exaggerated frustration, not really understanding, no matter how much he thought he did.

"Well, what do we do now? Ah, if I could just have one minute with that brat...!"

Tohdoh shut his eyes. The officers and bridgecrew glanced back and forth between each other. Hong Gu and Xianglin looked to Xingke for answers, but he merely shook his head.

"This is a delicate situation now," he muttered, ignoring Tamaki, having gathered his wits and begun considering their position and what options were available to them. "We've stopped Lelouch from saying anything else that could turn the people against the Black Knights, at least for now. But in doing so we have further portrayed ourselves in a suspicious manner.

"We currently have only two paths before us: Either allow the conference to continue, or not. If we do, it will mean Lelouch can persist in vilifying the Black Knights. If we end it, it could turn the people against us just as easily."

There was an uneasy quiet on the Ikaruga's bridge after Xingke finished. The only sound to be heard was the monotonous hum of the warship's Float systems holding it aloft in the sky above Ashford. Then Tamaki broke the tension in a way only he could.

"So what if the Black Knights look bad?" he questioned dumbly. "The UFN ain't goin' anywhere, and we're the only military they got, so it's not like they can fire us."

From his place standing near the forward controls, Captain Minami shook his head at his old friend.

"It's not the UFN whose opinion we have to worry about. It's Britannia's."

Sugiyama carried on Minami's line of reasoning.

"Britannia already hates the Black Knights, and we're not helping that by holding their emperor and refusing to let him go. The more we do anything the easier it is for Lelouch to rattle sabers and drum up support against us that could lead to war."

"And," Minami added, "considering we'd be up against Zero, it's not a war we'd be guaranteed to win."

Tamaki gawked.

"So, what? Either we let him go so he can use Geass, or we make him leave and piss off Britannia!? What kind of options are those!?"

From her spot on her couch, Rakshata took a long drag on her pipe then let it out, watching the smoke waft toward the ceiling vents.

"There is another option," she said softly.

Her words hung in the air like the smell of her tobacco, no one daring to voice what they were all was thinking.

"We kill him."

The one to speak was Villetta, standing in a corner as unobtrusively as she could manage, and at her suggestion many on the bridge gasped. Tohdoh meanwhile huffed his disapproval and Minami eyed the woman suspiciously.

The captain of the Ikaruga still remembered her from the first Black Rebellion, when his men had caught her trying to sneak into their forward HQ, coincidentally at the very same school they now flew over more than a year later. Back then Ohgi had claimed she was a spy on his behalf, but as soon as they were left alone together the then-Deputy Commander had turned up shot.

Whether it was actually her who'd done it was never confirmed for Minami. After the battle was over and they were all arrested Ohgi was kept in a separate cell block with the other major Black Knight officers and wasn't allowed to mingle with the rest of the prisoners. Even after Zero - Lelouch - had rescued them from Guilford and from execution, Ohgi had kept his mouth shut on the topic when asked about it.

Ohgi turned to Rakshata, his eyes bulging.

"Absolutely not! We want to avoid going back to war with Britannia. Assassinating their leader would be the fastest way to start it back up again!"

Rakshata only yawned.

"She was the one who said it, not me."

Chiba had been standing with her arms crossed this whole time, not really keen on all this political business but listening carefully, and now she raised her voice.

"It's still an option. If war with Britannia is inevitable, then we should take this chance to kill Lelouch while we have it."

Again Ohgi shook his head, unwilling to even consider it.

"We just signed a ceasefire with Schneizel. After all this time, Japan is finally at peace. I don't think we should jeopardize that."

"Is our treaty even still in effect now that Lelouch is the emperor?"

"Regardless," Xingke concluded, defeat painted in his expression, "our only choice is to play Lelouch's game."

Chiba spun to face Xingke, appalled at the mere suggestion of such a thing. Rakshata tapped her pipe against her bottom lip in lazy contemplation. Tohdoh didn't move, only letting a deep frown settle across his face. Ohgi struggled to answer.

"But... His Geass! We can't just let him use it!"

Xingke nodded solemnly.

"You're right. But equally we cannot so lightly risk the peace we've purchased." He gave Ohgi a hard stare. "We must make an appeasement, or we may sacrifice everything to the flames of war."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

When the live news coverage of the meeting between the Emperor of Britannia and the United Federation of Nations inside Ashford Academy went down, the broadcast quickly cut to a multicoloured test card, then switched to HI-TV's on-scene reporter, Tokyo's own Milly Ashford, who shared her namesake with the school. She wasn't aware the cameras were on her at first, and she was caught wondering just what was going on before a crewman whispered to her from just out of frame.

Kallen was standing right outside the school when it happened, away from the masses being held back by Black Knight guardsmen. Red robes covered with dangling emeralds were draped over her shoulders, and she watched one of the screens fixed to the outer walls for the Black Knights to monitor as Milly, her former Student Council President, floundered in front of the camera, then forced a toothy smile and reported that there was some kind of technical difficulty, but efforts were being made to reestablish a live feed. Kallen didn't believe a word of it, and she could bet neither Milly, nor anyone else did either.

The former Captain of Zero Squad's mouth hung agape and her eyes were wide in utter disbelief. She stood still, as if in a trance, staring at the screen even after the news had cut to advertisements, her mind afire. Memories struck her, pounding to the forefront of her mind in randomized clusters: When she was captured and Lelouch promised to save her, no matter what; when she and Lelouch had talked at the park once, so long ago; when she'd pointed a gun at Lelouch and he didn't so much as flinch...

Lelouch was...

"No way..." she breathed.

Kallen blinked, the past disappearing from before her eyes and the scene of the present returning. She pulled Lelouch's red robes tighter around herself. She clenched her teeth and bounded forward, catching the attention of her Black Knight comrades - no, that was former comrades, wasn't it? - but she paid them no thought. She ignored everything as she ran for the door back into the school. For her, there was only...

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Inside the Ashford gym the members of the UFN grumbled amongst themselves, rather unsettled at how the conference was being conducted. As soon as Lelouch made his opening statement the Black Knights intervened and took control of the proceedings. The world's leaders were treated as if their presence was a mere formality at best, and at worst, a nuisance, and it caused many of them to question if they held the real power in the UFN at all.

The screens in the metal walls around Lelouch had turned off suddenly, again leaving the UFN representatives in the dark. At least this time Kaguya appeared to be just as unclear about why as the rest of them. Under the circumstances, she'd maintained her composure admirably and asked everyone to stay seated and wait for the meeting to continue. But minutes dragged on without any word about starting back up again, and Lelouch was still isolated, after a while his voice coming from over the top of the walls, wondering if anyone could hear or help him.

Eventually though, the screens all flashed back on for the UFN to see, this time the image split between Xingke and Lelouch. The Emperor looked furious, and Xingke was hardly any calmer.

"Emperor Lelouch," the Chinese general addressed grudgingly, "I apologize on behalf of the Black Knights for interfering in this UFN conference. I accept full responsibility for the breaching of UFN protocol, and hereby step down from my position as General Commander."

Gasps came from around the long hall at Xingke's declaration, and Kaguya's eyes went wide. She had no idea what Xingke was thinking, or what was decided up in the Ikaruga, but whatever it was, she had to act now and take control. She tapped a button on her podium and her face appeared onscreen to replace both Xingke and Lelouch.

"Thank you, Mister Xingke."

Kaguya wasn't quite sure what to call him now that he'd abdicated his rank with the Black Knights, but it probably didn't matter anyway. The next few moments were the ones that really mattered, and she had to approach them with the utmost care. Raising a hand out to show willingness to cooperate, she adopted the most sincere tone she could and addressed the UFN.

"Now then, let this meeting of the United Federation of Nations be called back into order."

"No." Once again Lelouch appeared onscreen. His posture was tight and unmoving, as if every muscle in his body was tensed with an unmistakable ire, and his narrowed eyes seemed to glow with rage. "I will endure this humiliation no longer. Let me out of here and put an end to this farce!"

"Emperor Lelouch," Kaguya attempted hurriedly, trying to assert her authority and get him to calm down.

Unfortunately for the Japanese princess, with the death of Emperor Charles, there was no longer anyone left on Earth who could silence Lelouch vi Britannia.

"This indignity against me and Britannia will not be overlooked. I will speak with you all for not a second more. Release me or the Holy Britannian Empire will be forced to interpret this action against its king as a provocation to war!"

More gasps came from around the gym. For the Britannian Emperor to so boldly and so easily issue the threat of war was deeply disturbing to the members of the UFN present, and no doubt to those around the world watching the broadcast now that it was live once more. But it was not a threat without merit. He had indeed asked to be released multiple times, and the UFN had no real right to hold him against his will - in neutral territory no less.

Still though, it was enough to finally get it across to Kaguya that there was nothing else she could do. If this really was just a game to Lelouch as she'd been told he considered it, then this round was officially over. Lelouch could still be stopped from using Geass, and no deal with the UFN was reached, but the Black Knights had lost badly. They'd intended to trap Lelouch without any pawns and without the use of his Geass, but now it was clear he didn't need any of that to trap them instead.

"I see," Kaguya practically croaked, the girl finding it somehow very difficult to speak, a haze of tears starting to shimmer over the green of her eyes. "As you wish, Emperor Lelouch."

She touched another button on her podium and the metal walls sprouting from the center of the gym slid back into the floor with a hum of machinery, revealing Lelouch once more. He was still scowling, finally getting his way doing nothing to improve his mood, but Kaguya still had to face him.

"In the future if you wish to continue the negotiations-"

He lashed out a hand to point at Kaguya and she reflexively shrunk back, turning her head to avoid meeting his gaze for fear of Geass.

"The negotiations are over!" He didn't shout, and his tone was level, but there was tremendous weight behind his every word. "I had some respect for Zero, but now that he's gone it seems the soul of the institutions he left behind has gone with him. Now they're left with all his brutality and none of his compassion."

Lelouch's presence was stifling for Kaguya, and his dominance was absolute. Though, as she held back tears and cowered away from looking him in the eye, she still controlled her own mind, and she thought on what he was saying.

He was condemning the Black Knights - condemning her. Right now he wore the clothes of a king, but his words were that of Zero himself. They were veiled to prevent anyone from realizing he'd been the masked hero, but Kaguya could hear it as clear as the black starry sky. Lelouch - Zero - was casting his judgement upon them for all the world to see.

And he viewed them as guilty.

There came no response from around the gym as Lelouch paused, still pointing at Kaguya. He seemed to relax though, ever so slightly, slowly lowering his hand to his side, but keeping his eyes on her all the while. In that moment it seemed the other members of the UFN didn't exist to him, his vision centered directly on the girl before him, and when he carried on his thought, it seemed he was speaking just for her.

"Such organizations would end up betraying the whole world eventually, just as they've betrayed Britannia today."

He spun on his heel, showing his back to Kaguya and uttering his last ominous remark before heading toward the exit.

"Do not think this is over."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Kallen raced into the school through the back entrance, her boots clacking against the polished floor and echoing through the empty halls. She threw open the doors to the huge chamber where she and Lelouch had talked no more than an hour ago, and stopped before the foot of the staircase. She looked up, her blue eyes meeting the purple of Lelouch's own, regarding her curiously.

He had been making his way down from the gym and stopped halfway on the stairs when Kallen burst in, one hand resting daintily on the railing and one foot still raised to take a step.

"Kallen...?" he wondered, no trace of his earlier fury left in his expression. If anything, there was concern. "What are you doing here?"

She furrowed her brow and pleaded back.

"Lelouch, what happened in there?"

"I told you to go home."

"Lelouch!" Kallen was not backing down. "Please!"

The Emperor watched her carefully, taking in every detail of her face, then let out a small sigh and resumed going down the steps.

"Xingke resigned from the Black Knights."

To this Kallen blinked in surprise. She hadn't been watching when that happened. She still had some lingering animosity toward Tianzi's bodyguard for capturing her and handing her over to Suzaku. After learning he'd joined the Black Knights she'd been willing to mostly forgive him, but never fully. Now that he was giving up his position, she didn't really know how to feel about it.

"He did?"

"Officially, perhaps," Lelouch considered, "but I doubt he'll actually relinquish any of his power. The Black Knights can't afford to lose him. Especially not now."

Kallen nodded grimly.

"It's because you plan to go to war with the UFN, isn't it?"

It had only been her guess based on what she saw during the UFN meeting, but saying it so matter of factly, getting straight to the point so Lelouch couldn't talk his way around it, got her the response she wanted. Lelouch paused on the steps once more, and when he didn't answer she knew she was right.

"You knew how the Black Knights would react when you asked to let Britannia join the UFN, didn't you?" Kallen pressed Lelouch further, and he continued to refrain from answering, his silence confirming her thoughts better than words ever could. "You knew they would try to stop you from using Geass, just like at Lake Kawaguchi you knew Cornelia would let you through her security. You predicted they'd create a diplomatic incident because they _couldn't_ predict you'd use it to your advantage."

A long moment came and went, and at length Lelouch shut his eyes and let out a breath, taking the last few steps down to the ground floor.

"Kaguya and the others thought I would be proud of everything they believe I've done and not deny it."

Kallen stared at Lelouch, looking deep into his eyes when he opened them once more.

"They still don't understand you, Lelouch."

It occurred to Kallen that it had always been this way. Lelouch could analyze a person, could know their hearts and how they'd behave, and could manipulate them into doing exactly what he wanted - no need for Geass at all - all while remaining completely unknowable himself. She wasn't much of a chess player, but Kallen figured this ability was at least part of why Lelouch always won. He didn't have to think ten steps ahead, although he probably did anyway. Knowing what his opponent would do meant he really only had to think one step ahead - how he would react after they did exactly what he expected.

"Why though?" she asked, her voice filled with emotion. "And what does this have to do with Suzaku?"

Lelouch raised a brow and gave Kallen a long stare, his face not revealing anything, though Kallen could only assume he was thinking about something.

"I made a deal with Suzaku," he said at last.

When she realized he wasn't going to give any details, Kallen frowned and prompted him.

"What deal?"

Lelouch just fixed Kallen with another questioning stare. He wasn't saying it, but she thought she was starting to figure him out, if only a little bit: He really didn't want to talk about this with her.

"The deal," he began again, keeping whatever reluctance he had to discuss it from his voice, "was for Suzaku to protect Nunnally. In return, I would keep lying. To the very end."

"But... Your sister..."

"He failed me then. But... After I destroyed Emperor Charles he said he forgave me, and asked for my forgiveness as well. Because it's what Shirley would have wanted from us. That's how we were able to come to our compromise; a plan that we call Zero Requiem."

At the utterance of the dead girls' names, Nunnally's and Shirley's, Kallen winced. Lelouch didn't seem especially upset about them, but she knew how much he'd cared about Nunnally, and she'd seen him after the night of the Second Black Rebellion, when FLEIJA had stolen her away from him forever. He'd been alive, technically, but there was death in his eyes. He may not have cared for Shirley - Kallen really didn't know - but she was certain that he'd loved his only full-blooded sister, so his indifference now could only be for the sake of masking his true feelings.

Zero Requiem though... Kallen had no idea what a plan with a name like that could possibly entail, but it certainly didn't sound good. The only thing she could think was that Lelouch planned to kill Zero, but that wouldn't make sense. 'Zero' was already dead.

She waited for Lelouch to explain, silently urging him to tell her everything, her hunger for more answers after he gave her a taste now insatiable. He was nodding to himself slightly, what Kallen could only assume was the result of him reliving memories in his mind.

"I promised Suzaku that I would try to change things just like he always wanted." Lelouch finally began to relent, offering Kallen exactly what she always wanted from him: The truth. "I would do it my way though. In return, he pledged his life and his soul to me, and toward the completion of the Zero Requiem.

"To begin, I had to become Emperor of Britannia. There was no way I could change anything except from the top down."

Kallen thought that made sense. Suzaku wanted to change Britannia from the inside to make it better. He wanted to make the laws fairer by using the tools of the system, no matter how much corruption and bureaucracy stood in his way, making his endeavors impossible. But as Emperor, Lelouch was able to force change on the Empire, bypassing every hindrance that had stood in Suzaku's way, or else simply removing them altogether, as he had during his military victories over Bismarck and the Noble Insurrections.

Lelouch was making Britannia a better place, not just for the sake of the other countries in the world that feared being conquered, but for the vast majority of Britannians as well. And what struck Kallen most profoundly was how easy it had been for him.

Suzaku had been labouring inside the system since 2010 at the earliest, and had never accomplished anything, even his promotion to Knight of Seven not changing Britannia in the slightest. The Black Knights had fought against Britannia for almost two years and had only started making major gains. Lelouch had taken the Imperial Throne for himself and more or less accomplished everything they'd all been struggling to achieve for so long in only a month.

That being said though...

"That still doesn't explain why you want to go to war with the UFN," Kallen said with a frown.

Lelouch only let the beginnings of a smirk appear on his lips.

"Zero performed some incredible feats, didn't he?"

"Huh?"

"Saving Suzaku from his execution, defeating Cornelia's forces in battle, setting one million Japanese free from Britannia..."

Lelouch began to pace slow circles around Kallen as he listed Zero's most prominent moments. He was smirking just like he used to, with a keenness to his narrowed eyes and an unnatural smoothness to his movement. To Kallen, he really seemed to be in a good mood all of a sudden. He was being more talkative than before, for one. He must have been enjoying having her follow along as he laid out his path of reasoning, no matter what dark turns it would take.

Kallen meanwhile stood motionless, only following him with her eyes and feeling a disconcerting thrill when he passed behind her, the same she'd felt so often around Zero before learning who he was beneath the mask. Her heart was beginning to thump in her chest and it felt like his voice was lulling her into a trance.

"Suzaku said they were all lies," the Emperor continued, watching Kallen out of the corner of his eye as he circled around her again. "Zero propped himself up on a tower of lies. But those lies brought hope to millions of people. So he asked me to keep lying - to keep on lying then make those lies into truth."

Lelouch stopped and turned to Kallen fully, suddenly becoming deadly serious.

"Use people then throw them away... Cheat and steal and murder my way to the top until everyone thinks I'm a hero... Then use that position of power to be the hero they all believe I am."

Kallen remained silent.

The redhead felt exposed beneath Lelouch's piercing stare. He was gauging her reaction. She could tell. He did the same thing as Zero routinely - to unnerve people, to see just how much truth they could really handle. He would say awful things, things he expected the listeners to do, or things he'd already done that walked a grey line a few shades too dark.

Kallen remained silent.

It was his test. He would not lie when he did this. Those who argued or quaked under the pressure would never be included in his plans again. They would still be given questionable orders, but they would never know the higher purpose behind any of it, and they would never rise in the ranks. Only those who could accept the killing, those who could keep a calm and level head and know that the deaths had meaning, were ever able to gain even a shred of Zero's - Lelouch's - trust.

Kallen remained silent.

After several moments of absolute quiet, Lelouch relaxed, and sighed.

"That had already been my plan," he remarked, shrugging, "but I intended to do so as Zero, and that's unfortunately no longer an option."

Again Kallen held back a cringe. She knew it wasn't her fault, and there was nothing she could have done, but she'd been there the day Zero died, and the memory haunted her. She'd been the one to lead him into the Black Knights' trap. She did it unknowingly. But she should have realized something was off! And Lelouch was in no condition to meet with anyone anyway. Lelouch's whole world imploded when Nunnally was lost, along with most of Tokyo. She should have had Lelouch wait in his quarters. She should have stayed with him! She should have...!

"Zero is gone, but the world's need for a hero isn't."

Lelouch's words rescued Kallen from her memories, bringing her back to reality. He was smirking again, though it was subdued, and a flicker akin to humour entered his tone as he finished his thought.

"Emperor Lelouch 'the Reformer' will be that hero."

It was a grand declaration, and put all of his actions since becoming Emperor into perspective, but even as his words were still sinking in, Kallen burst out.

"But-!"

He already knew what she was going to say.

"I could be as benevolent as I wished, but I doubt the Black Knights would ever stand down and cooperate with me. After all, Ohgi and the others have already demonstrated they're willing to assume the worst."

Kallen considered. There were a lot of factors in all this - a lot of major players, and the ever fickle hands of fate and politics.

"I thought the evidence against Zero was a bit shaky when Ohgi told me about it." Kallen nodded in grave agreement with her former classmate. "He was pretty convinced though. He got the others to believe it too. They really think you're a bad guy, Lelouch. I don't think there's anything you could do to prove to them you're not."

The longer she talked with Lelouch, the more Kallen believed she understood what he was trying to say, everything so far simply building on itself to validate the conclusion.

Lelouch could gain the love of every Britannian, but the UFN was still separate from his rule, and the Black Knights were major figures within it. If they denounced him, or treated him with anything less than veneration, it would quite easily keep everyone outside the Empire against him. Kallen figured he could demonstrate his commitment to the common folk, whether they were his own subjects or not, but gaining their favour would take time. It could take years to erode the people of the UFN's trust in the Black Knights - the trust Zero had gone to such lengths to acquire in the first place - and there was no guarantee it would even work.

Lelouch didn't have enough time to change things peacefully. As things currently stood, the Black Knights were his rivals for admiration from the entire world. And that meant...

The Black King confirmed exactly what Kallen was thinking.

"There can be no peace so long as either I, or the Black Knights exist." His smirk grew. "So I will obliterate them."

"But wouldn't that-?"

"Ruin my reputation?" He seemed to know every question Kallen had before she asked it. It was probably because he'd already asked those very questions himself. "Every hero needs a villain. The bigger the villain, the greater the hero when he triumphs. I've already gained as much as I can from being the one to defeat the Evil Emperor Charles."

For the first time in a long time, not since the night the Black Knights faced the JLF splinter group at Lake Kawaguchi, Kallen was in utter disbelief at what Lelouch was suggesting. After that operation she'd followed him blindly, never questioning him no matter how outlandish his requests or his goals. She was absolutely sure the fate of the Resistance - and her fate - was in good hands. But this...

"You're trying to make the Black Knights look like villains so you can save the world from them."

Lelouch scoffed, apparently genuinely amused.

"They're doing a fine enough job of that themselves," he laughed mockingly. "I merely had to give them the opportunity and they showed the world their true colours without a second thought."

This revelation put Lelouch's earlier actions into yet another, this time darker, context for Kallen. The UFN conference was all just a ruse, a stage set up for the Black Knights to incriminate themselves upon, and for Lelouch to respond to their insults and intimidation by adopting the role of the victim. War would come next, and Lelouch would blame it on the Black Knights, perhaps even being able to turn the UFN as a collection of governments against them.

Kallen thought she should be appalled - Lelouch's plan was sinister - but for some reason she just couldn't muster up any outrage. It was fascinatingly complex, involving many steps and a long line of logic to appreciate, and finally restored the simplicity that she felt had disappeared from the world. There were only two sides again, Britannia and the Black Knights, good and evil, black and white.

It did have an uncanny resemblance to what Ohgi told her really happened with Euphemia though: Zero had geassed the Pink Princess to stain her hands red, then used the tragedy she created as an opportunity to grandstand over her corpse. In so doing he was able claim the mantle of saviour and rally Elevens to his war banner.

Kallen hadn't wanted to believe it when she heard it. It was abhorrent. But it did make sense. Lelouch's new plan being nearly identical only confirmed for Kallen that it was true. What Ohgi said, that Schneizel claimed, must have been true. The SAZ Massacre had been artificially created, a false flag event designed to draw a line in the sand between Britannia and the Black Knights, and force everyone to pick a side.

Kallen didn't care though. She was beyond caring. It didn't help that Lelouch was right about the Black Knights making themselves look bad either.

She decided to change the subject.

"Why did you have Rivalz and Nina taken onto your transport?"

Lelouch answered simply.

"Japan will be a battlefield again soon. I saw an opportunity to keep Rivalz safe and I took it."

"And Nina?"

"She is the one who developed FLEIJA."

Kallen held herself back from gawking. Nina was...? The surprises Lelouch had for her seemed endless.

"I want to join you," she said suddenly, this time Lelouch being the one taken aback.

"You can't! I'm going to smear the Black Knights in any way I can. You have to stay out of the spotlight so no one remembers you were ever associated with them!"

Up to this point Lelouch had been calm, even light-hearted at points, but now there was a tenseness in his voice that Kallen recognized. There was desperation. There was fear - the fear of...

"Lelouch," she comforted, "I think I finally understand why you said what you did on the Ikaruga."

"Kallen, I-"

They were interrupted by a ring coming from his coat pocket, and Lelouch quickly drew out his phone and set it against his ear. He listened for a moment, then arched his brows and scowled. Whoever was on the other line, he told them to wait for orders, then hung up.

"Pendragon is gone," Lelouch explained for Kallen's benefit. "It was hit with FLEIJA."

If it had been any other city, the news would have been no less alarming, but Pendragon...

Pendragon City, the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire was gone? Just like Tokyo? The FLEIJA weapon was unlike any that had ever come before, the pink light of the sakuradite-fueled warhead's activation swallowing everything around it, erasing buildings, vehicles, and people from existence in an instant, with nothing left behind but a clean scoop out of the earth.

How many millions had just died right before Lelouch was informed of it? How many billions of pounds worth of damage had been done? Weren't many of Lelouch's own brothers and sisters still in the city, if not all of them? Did people have time to realize what was happening? Did they attempt to escape even though it was no use?

Kallen's own father was in Pendragon on business. Was he gone as well? It wasn't like she was close with him, but her mother still cared deeply for him, regardless if family politics, and national politics as well, forced them apart. How was she going to take it when she found out?

Kallen was too shocked to even gasp.

"What...?"

Lelouch elucidated with a growl.

"It was Schneizel. I accessed his records on FLEIJA after taking the Throne. He should be the only one in possession of the weapon."

The Black King tsked.

"And he has many of them," he muttered as an afterthought.

Kallen felt lost.

"Why would Schneizel do that?"

"It was a show of force. He probably thought it would be enough to beat me. If not the emperor's will, then destroy the will of Britannia itself to defy him."

What was Schneizel hoping to gain from 'beating' Lelouch? Kallen couldn't figure it out. She supposed the simplest answer was that he wanted to depose Lelouch and become Emperor himself. If he could scare Britannians enough, they might demand Lelouch abdicate, for fear of further FLEIJA bombings.

Such an act however, Kallen reasoned, was nothing more than terrorism.

She didn't say it out loud though. Her mouth opened but her mind was having trouble translating her thoughts into speech. In actual fact, she didn't think there was very much she could say in response to such an atrocity in the first place.

Lelouch in the meantime had stepped back to lean against a railing on the staircase, a distressed, pensive look settling across his face. He mumbled something, maybe to Kallen, or more likely simply thinking out loud.

"I must admit, I did expect something like this to happen. When or where though was impossible to fully predict." He glanced over at Kallen staring at him expectantly, acknowledging her. "When Britannians learn of what's happened they will assume it was the Black Knights who did it."

Kallen's brow furrowed and she swallowed, knowing full well what Lelouch meant by that, and what that would entail.

"You have your just cause for war now," she murmured.

Lelouch nodded back gravely, stone-faced.

"I do."

"If you could have," she wondered next, "would you have prevented it?"

To this, Lelouch remained silent. He peered deep into Kallen's eyes, revealing nothing of his thoughts on the matter with his posture or expression. In time though he gave her some semblance of a response, cold and harsh.

"It will be exceptionally easy to blame the Black Knights for the death of Pendragon."

There was a long moment of silence between them after that. There was very little that could be said. They simply stared at each other, as if in a daze. Kallen figured Lelouch was strategizing what to do next, a simultaneous sharpness and vacancy in his eyes. Her attention was focused entirely on him.

From what he said, did Lelouch really mean that he...?

Kallen stifled her feelings on the subject. It didn't matter anymore. It was all in the past - over and done with. A city full of people, even if they were Britannians, had just been murdered. There wasn't any time left for doubt. There was no longer any room for morals. She'd chosen her side, and now that she'd come that far, her useless pride, Kallen supposed - she'd just have to get rid of it.

"Will that be enough?" she challenged. Her voice was low and uncompromising, and her face had hardened into her well-worn mask of the harsh veteran. "Britannians already hate the Black Knights, but people in the UFN may not care since the FLEIJA wasn't used against them. We'll need more 'evidence' to change the opinion of everyone."

"'We'?" Lelouch raised a brow and smirked as Kallen flushed in embarrassment. Before she could explain herself though, he redirected the conversation. "Where's Diethard?"

Without meaning to, the former Black Knight let out a grunt of confusion.

"He left. Ohgi and the others think he's with Schneizel now. Why?"

Lelouch's smirk grew into a grin of cruel satisfaction.

"He has all the evidence we'll need. After all, he has personal footage of the Black Knights betraying and executing Zero, doesn't he?"

Kallen inhaled sharply. Yes, he did, didn't he? When the Black Knights confronted her and Zero, Diethard had been there as well, filming the whole thing and narrating, for what reason Kallen couldn't quite grasp. It was well known to the Knights that Diethard was fascinated by Zero, and had his permission to take pictures, record events, and ask questions, all with the intention of one day compiling them into a documentary: 'Zero: The Myth, The Mask, The Man', he said he was going to call it.

But why would he film Zero's death? There was no way he could include such an ignoble end in his finished product for billions to see, especially not after the Black Knights claimed Zero died from battle wounds. It would contradict their official statement and make their treachery public knowledge.

Could it be that'd been Diethard's intention? If Zero had not escaped his demise on the Ikaruga, did the former journalist plan on showing everyone what the Black Knights had done - as vengeance for ruining the magnificent victory he envisioned for Zero? Or just so he could watch the world burn?

A chill ran up Kallen's spine.

"Lelouch, if you release that footage...!"

It would be the end for the Black Knights. The rank and file servicemen still loyal to Zero's ideals would revolt against their commanders that had betrayed him. There could be riots just like when Zero exposed the High Eunuchs. The UFN could even break apart. In the worst case scenario it could result in a civil war.

Even in the best case scenario, the Order would still be disbanded by the UFN, if not by their own choice then by Lelouch's Geass-induced suggestion, and as for everyone Diethard caught on camera holding Zero - and Kallen - at gunpoint, they would be found guilty of high treason. Ohgi, Tohdoh, Tamaki, Sugiyama, Minami, Chiba... They had been the ringleaders of the Betrayal Council. Showing the world what they'd done to Zero would be Lelouch signing their death warrants.

Just thinking about it was causing Kallen to tremble, but before she could lose her nerve Lelouch stepped forward.

"Kallen," he started, deep and ominous, his gaze fixed directly upon her and his eyes almost seeming to glow red, "do you still intend to join me, even knowing what I plan to do?"

She gulped, unable to take her eyes from Lelouch's. She loved the Black Knights. She loved Ohgi and the others. But...

Steeling herself once more, she nodded.

"Yes."

"You'll have to work with Suzaku, who is your bitter rival and hated enemy."

She forced herself to take even breaths. She nodded again and dropped to one knee, Lelouch's red robes pooling on the polished, mosaicked Ashford floor around her.

"I..." She lowered her head before the Britannian Emperor. "I made up my mind a long time ago. I'll follow you to the very end."

She waited as Lelouch stood quietly, watching her.

"I'm grateful, Kallen." He said it slowly and deliberately - sincerely. This wasn't what he'd wanted for her. Or for himself. But nevertheless he raised his chin to look down upon her, and puffed out his chest when he spoke again, filling his voice with Imperial authority. "Henceforth, you shall be known as Kallen Stadtfeld, and no other name."

Kallen tensed then let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It was done. Kallen Kozuki was dead.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

He gestured to her with his hand.

"Rise."

She got to her feet and looked to Lelouch, waiting for her new liege's orders. He turned and started to pace again.

"The Black Knights have already caught on to our plan," he began to explain. "It's why Xingke stepped down publicly in shame - to attempt to soften the hammerblow this failed UFN conference delivered to the Order's credibility. They must know that I intend to wage war against them."

He stopped and faced her.

"And now Schneizel's announced himself as against us as well..."

Kallen nodded once more, seeing exactly what he was suggesting.

"I agree," she confirmed to the Emperor. "The Black Knights' next move will be to ally with Schneizel."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, not a hint of warmth or compassion there as he gave his dread proclamation.

"Every single Black Knight, including your brother Naoto's friends, is now an _enemy_ of Britannia."

Kallen's expression hardened.

"I understand, Your Highness."

"We must move quickly." Lelouch motioned for her to follow and started for the double doors leading to the hallway. "First, I want you to steal the Guren and fly toward Hawaii. With a full energy filler you should be able to make the trip. I'll have Suzaku meet you partway in the Albion and bring you up to speed. C.C. and I will meet you there later."

"And..." They stopped in front of the doors as Kallen asked for Lelouch's instruction. "If anyone tries to stop me?"

Lelouch turned to her, the look on his face deathly serious, broaching no argument.

"Do what must be done, Lady Stadtfeld. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."

He paused, as if expecting, or even hoping for her to question his command, and when she didn't, he let out a long breath and grimaced, seemingly in regret.

"When everything's over," he added with a sigh, "the world will have an ultimate hero who saved them all from the Black Knights. And we shall have peace."

Kallen didn't answer, her lips firmly set into a stern frown of professionalism. What Lelouch was doing, with Suzaku and C.C., and now herself as his allies, was necessary, no matter how hard it might seem in the moment. If there had been another option, if Emperor Lelouch could have brought peace in some other way, it was already gone, whisked from existence the moment Schneizel dropped a FLEIJA on Pendragon.

War and death were inevitable now. Even if she'd stayed with the Black Knights, going against Zero's final order, all that would happen was that she would hang along with them. If Naoto could see what had become of the sister and friends he'd left behind...

All she could do now was fight to make sure their deaths meant something. She would wallow in remorse when she had time for it.

Lelouch had turned back to open the doors for them to leave the empty chamber when Kallen had another thought.

"Wait, Lelouch," she said, catching his attention. She touched a hand to the red robes wrapped around her body. "I can't let the Black Knights see me wearing this."

Before Lelouch had gone to meet with Kaguya and the UFN, he'd stopped Kallen from leaving him. He didn't think they'd ever meet again. He'd taken off his robes, leaving him in his white, silver, and gold dress suit, and placed them around Kallen's shoulders like the perfect gentleman. He didn't say it, but it had been his way of showing her, no matter what happened since leaving the Black Knights, that he was the same man she'd always known. As Lelouch Lamperouge, he'd given her his clothes to wear after she was soaked in champagne, then the jacket of his school uniform at Babel Tower. As Zero, he'd given her a uniform to give her life meaning again. And as Lelouch vi Britannia he was giving her his own regal attire to remember him by.

Kallen carefully removed Lelouch's robes to leave her in her Black Knights uniform, each little movement causing a jingle from the emeralds and chains attached across its surface. She looked up into Lelouch's eyes and approached him, moving to throw the red fabric around him, bringing her body in close to his. She paused, her fingers still grasping his robes and her arms around Lelouch's neck as she pulled them across his shoulders. She was close enough that she was almost touching him, and she could feel his breath against her nose.

Realizing just how close she was all of a sudden she drew back, a little too quickly, her face turning almost as red as her hair. Lelouch in the meantime was not nearly as affected, appearing to be only mildly bemused. He gazed upon her, taking in the details of her flushed cheeks and her icy blue eyes, now conveniently pointed toward the floor, and he frowned.

Reaching a hand into his coat's inner pocket, he drew forth Kallen's sidecap and held it out for her.

"My Lady gave me her Favour before I faced my enemies. It gave me good luck. It's only right that I return it now."

Kallen blinked and gave a slight tilt of her head to the side, then her face went even redder as her embarrassment grew, and she nodded sheepishly. She snatched her cap out of Lelouch's hands and held it tight against her breast, unable to look him in the eye.

Lelouch had half a mind to snicker at her.

The moment was short though, and despite her heavy blush she forced her expression back into one of determination - that of a seasoned warrior.

She bowed deeply to Lelouch, her hair falling around her face as she did, then straightened her back and balled her hand into a fist, still holding her cap, pounding it against her heart. It was a different kind of salute, one that in Britannia indicated respect for someone of a higher social rank rather than a military one. Kallen had, after all, sworn allegiance to Lelouch vi Britannia, making him her sovereign.

She turned and pulled one of the doors open, then scurried out, her haste failing to bely how embarrassed she still was, and Lelouch watched her go, in that moment not quite knowing his own thoughts.

"The world will have its hero," he mused to himself, not really listening to his own words, "that overshadows every other. Despite everything that's happened..."

He shook his head. Becoming Zero was not a mistake. But... Zero was dead. He died aboard the Ikaruga. Or maybe it was in the World of C, with Suzaku and C.C. by his side.

Lelouch considered to himself. Could he really beat the Black Knights in an all-out war, even with all the military might of the Holy Britannian Empire at his back? It was true he had Suzaku, and now even Kallen to fight with him, but he'd previously stacked the Black Knights with every possible advantage. He was only one man, but Xingke and Schneizel were two, and either one would be a difficult foe to outmanoeuvre.

If he did win the war, would everything end the way he hoped? Or had he simply convinced himself that it would all turn out for the best? Perhaps Suzaku's optimism was poisoning him.

Despite his better judgement, Lelouch had included his greatest friend, his greatest enemy, in every step of his plans since abolishing Ragnarök. The Knight's blind idealism and lack of thought to consequences made him especially well-suited for taking orders, though not much else, yet in spite of this Lelouch had found his input reassuring, and together they'd devised a plot more cunning and ambitious than even the masterworks of Zero.

C.C. had helped where she could, offering the boys the wisdom of centuries, and informing their moves at every step. According to her, there was at least some precedent for heroes rising in response to great enemies of Good, even if they weren't all that heroic or even capable to begin with. Just so long as they found themselves on the right side in the moment. Of course, she'd said, whoever was the last one left standing was also usually considered a hero, regardless if they were right.

Lelouch hoped, regardless how things ended in this whole mess of politics and bloodshed, that he and Suzaku could one day attempt to repair their friendship. He didn't think it was likely - too much had happened between them - but it was his hope all the same.

He hoped that when the war was over he might finally be able to return Kallen's feelings. She loved him. He'd known it for a long time, and she'd become important to him too. But since he'd gained the Power of the King his mind had always been preoccupied. There'd always been so much to do. Maybe when peace was achieved...

He shook all his thoughts away. He had to stay focused on what was important in the moment. He had to get back to his transport, get back to C.C., Rivalz, and Nina. He had to speak with Suzaku and begin preparing speeches for when he rallied Britannia to war against the Black Knights, making careful note not to disparage the UFN. They could still be useful to him. Until final victory was achieved he couldn't allow himself to think of anything else.

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch threw open the double doors leading back into the hallway, one he was well-acquainted with from his time as Vice-President of this very school's Student Council. He marched through the empty corridors, not a student or teacher in sight, and not a single Black Knight guard allowed inside either, except if specifically called by the UFN Chairman while their conference was still in session in the gym.

No matter what came, Lelouch knew, the stage was already set. It was time to stop wearing masks and finally put the identity of Zero to rest. He approached the exit and pushed the door open, the blinding hot light of the sun spilling in and over him, and a faint smile came to his lips.

"That," he whispered to himself as he stepped outside, "is the Zero Requiem."

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	4. Keeping Lies 4: Final Destination

**R2 Episode 23: Heroes' Blood-I**

Lelouch marched outside as quickly as he could manage without seeming to be in too much of a hurry. The crowd around Ashford hadn't moved since he entered the school with Kallen, and Milly was still there as well, her cameraman immediately focusing in on him as he made his way back to his personal jet and waiting Imperial Guards.

He'd wasted too much time with Kallen after leaving the conference. It had been unexpectedly satisfying to speak with her uninterrupted for the first time in so long, but now Lelouch knew he'd have to rush to make up for every second lost. Suzaku was waiting for orders, and more pressing than that, he still had to get out of Japan before the Black Knights realized this was their last best chance to kill him.

As he stormed across the school grounds, ignoring everything around him - the scenery, the sounds of people cheering his name, and the memories he had of this place - Lelouch tsked. Since embarking on this plan with Suzaku and C.C., he'd always been holding back. Zero Requiem was entirely dependent on public perception and careful crafting of narratives, and although war with the UFN was a necessary step in achieving his goals, appearing too prepared for that war could undermine everything.

Originally Lelouch had planned to return to Britannia and spend several days manufacturing outrage and silently moving his armies into position before proceeding to the next phase of Zero Requiem. But Schneizel had struck hard and struck first, eliminating any need for pretenses or restraint on the king's part. If he'd known this would happen, Lelouch could have deployed an entire air division to wait over international waters, ready to invade Japan to 'rescue' him after news hit of the Black Knights' treachery. It would have made the war to come much easier, giving him solid time to occupy the country and dig in for the eventual Black Knight counter-invasion.

Without slowing his pace, Lelouch snatched his phone from a pocket in his royal white suit jacket, tapping a button and setting it against his ear. The sound of Suzaku's voice came through mere moments later, agitated and impatient.

 _"Lelouch, what's going on over there? We need your order now!"_

"Then, give it," Lelouch hissed, putting one hand to his mouth to hide what he was saying from any curious onlookers. "All Britannian Armed Forces are hereby ordered to mobilize for war. Take immediate action against the UFN. We can explain to the people later."

 _"It will be done, My Lord."_

"One more thing. Kallen's on our side now."

There was a slight delay from Suzaku before he spluttered back.

 _"She what-!?"_

"I'll explain later. She's heading to your location now. Rendezvous and guide her back to base. Take the Albion."

Lelouch didn't wait for Suzaku's reply. He was almost to his transport, two of his Guardsmen waiting at either side of its entrance ramp, and as he approached he tapped a button on his phone to end the call and began sheathing it away once more.

Something caught his eye before he could board though, at the corner of his vision, a commotion coming from the perimeter wall. Someone had pushed their way to the front of the crowd and was arguing with the Black Knights posted to keep order. There was no reason for the emperor to take more than a passing notice of such a trivial and common occurrence, yet as his gaze brushed casually over the scene, Lelouch stopped in full and turned his head to get a better view, his eyes going wide.

The troublemaker, a woman, a phantom, flashed some form of ID and the men clad in black and silver saluted, then parted, opening a gate for her to enter the school grounds. She was covered in filth and her hair was long, ragged, and unwashed, and she winced as she limped past the soldiers toward Lelouch. Her clothes were torn and stained with blotches of red and brown, blood and dirt, and they hung ever so slightly against her thin form.

Lelouch could not prevent himself from shivering at the sight before him. Since the night of the Second Battle for Tokyo, he'd never expected to see this woman again except in all too distant dreams of better days, when he and his sister were together and nothing could separate them. Yet here she was, as if returned from death itself.

"Master Lelouch," Sayoko called weakly. The ninja-maid was clearly exhausted, panting for air and having to force herself to move despite her body's protests. "I... I need to tell you...!"

She stumbled while Lelouch looked on, his body frozen but his mind in a state of frantic movement. In less than a second he considered and dismissed countless scenarios, both possible or absurd, seeking desperately for the one that could have resulted in her being here now, and what the implications of that could be. After all, Sayoko Shinozaki had died when a FLEIJA warhead was detonated over Tokyo more than a month ago.

In lightning response, Lelouch shot a look at each Guardsman to his left and right, then made a hand signal, the two men jumping at his unspoken command and rushing behind Sayoko to prevent anyone from clearly seeing what was happening.

The king spoke just one word, his voice soft but his tone absolute.

"Jeremiah."

In an instant the cyborg was at his side, bounding out from inside the jet to receive his lord's command.

"Bring her aboard," Lelouch said in a hush, nodding slightly in Sayoko's direction. "We're leaving."

With that, he turned and finally stepped through the waiting door of his transport. Sayoko may have been alive and carrying urgent news, but he still had to be mindful not to linger in the open too long. The people beyond the perimeter fence were watching him, as well as many Black Knights, and the longer he stayed the more chance there was for them to learn something they shouldn't.

As for Jeremiah, once again there was almost no delay between Lelouch giving his order and him fulfilling it. The margrave, both machine and man, dressed in a white uniform and caped in orange silk, a single emerald hanging from his belt, leapt down from the plane's landing ramp, no trace of uncertainty in his expression. His legs were long, and he took several huge strides toward Sayoko and the Imperial Guardsmen shielding her from view, his heavy boots thumping against the ground with each step.

"Lord Gottwald..." Sayoko whispered his name as he approached, a look of recognition spreading across her face.

Jeremiah halted in front of her and quickly reached out a gloved hand.

"Come now," he answered back just loud enough for her to hear. "We have to go."

Sayoko nodded slightly and stumbled forward, grabbing Jeremiah's hand and bracing herself against his grip. It seemed she could hardly walk, having to drag one leg, and from the way her lips quivered and her eyes darted to the side, it was clear she was ashamed of her weakness.

Jeremiah knew that look well.

Without giving her any warning, he bent down to scoop Sayoko up in his arms, eliciting only a gasp of surprise from her before he turned and shot off back toward the jet.

"I'm sorry," Sayoko murmured as the distance between them and the transport evaporated in the blink of an eye.

Lelouch's Guardsmen followed after them, running to keep up, and Jeremiah looked down at the ninja-maid in his arms - broken, helpless, and humiliated - and held her just a bit closer.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Upon entering his transport Lelouch was greeted by the sight of its luxurious living room, equipped with all the necessities befitting a king, such as sofas, a large television screen, and of course a bar area. More prominently was Nina and Rivalz, seated side by side on a plushy pink couch on one end of the room, yet still appearing distinctly uncomfortable. On the other side of the room meanwhile was C.C., sitting back on a couch of her own, a slice of pizza in hand and a pistol set lazily on top of the pizza box in her lap.

The very second Rivalz noticed the king had returned his face lit up.

"Lelouch! You're back!"

Nina's reaction was more subdued, but it was clear she too was relieved to see her former classmate. As for C.C., she merely smirked.

"I don't appreciate being saddled with babysitting your little friends, Lelouch."

The immortal girl was dressed in her favourite white straightjacket, the same as she'd been wearing the day the two of them met in Shinjuku, much to Lelouch's eternal bewilderment. She'd explained once that living through so many eras of fashion had proven to her how transient and meaningless the concept really was. Lelouch thought that made sense, yet how that translated into an attitude of seeming disdain for normal clothing, he didn't think he'd ever understand.

Lelouch glanced at C.C.'s conveniently placed weapon, then cast her a disapproving frown.

"I doubt they planned on causing any trouble."

"Well, with teenagers you can never be too sure." She shrugged and fixed Lelouch with a cheeky grin. "Just look at you, for instance."

To this Lelouch glared in annoyance, but before he could give any kind of suitable retort Jeremiah burst in from outside, Sayoko still dangling in his arms, signaling an abrupt end to the banter.

"My room," Lelouch directed his knight, ignoring the gawks they were receiving from Nina and Rivalz, and even C.C., who stopped partway through taking another bite of her pizza when she recognized who Jeremiah was carrying.

While the cyborg knight rushed Sayoko in and through a door on the far side of the room, Lelouch tapped a button on a wall panel by the entrance and leaned in.

"Take us out," he commanded, presumably to the jet's pilot. "Now!"

The hatch leading outside shut and there was a loud rev as the idling transport began to move, and as Lelouch quickly scrambled to sit next to C.C. she raised a brow.

"And just what trouble did you get into this time?"

Lelouch's only reply was to scowl as he pulled a seatbelt up from between the cushions of the couch. He'd been hoping his good mood following his conversation with Kallen would last for a while longer, but as with so many other things since the day his mother died - at least in flesh - that was apparently too much to ask for.

The plane lifted off and into the air, followed by the other two carrying Lelouch's Imperial Guards, and within moments Tokyo was far behind them.

Everyone in the room had remained silent during that time, and Rivalz was beginning to get impatient for answers. Beside him Nina had begun to shake in fear again. He still had some trust that everything was alright - his buddy Lelouch was going to explain everything and everything would be fine - but Nina didn't share his confidence, and the longer they went without knowing why they were there and where they were going, the more terrified she became.

Deciding it was about time to ask again, the boy threw on an awkward smile and addressed the Emperor.

"So, Lelouch-"

There was a beep from the television screen as it flashed on, showing an alert on the bottom left corner. Lelouch's eyes narrowed at the sight. It was informing him that he was receiving a video call request. Very few people knew the passcodes to hail the Imperial Private Channel though, and he didn't recognize the caller's ID, so it wasn't Suzaku or his generals. That could only leave...

Lelouch glanced to C.C., their eyes meeting briefly, and a conversation passed between them in an instant. She knew his thoughts and he knew her replies. It might have been due to the connection they shared from Geass, or a fundamental understanding built through tears and blood. Regardless though, C.C. nodded to Lelouch and set her pizza box aside.

"Alright, you two," she urged to Nina and Rivalz as she returned her pistol into the folds of her straightjacket. "Let's give Lulu some privacy."

Her tone was disgustingly saccharine to Lelouch's ears, but it served its purpose. His friends were mostly put at ease and needed little coaxing from C.C. as she got up and escorted them into his cabin to join Jeremiah and Sayoko. Rivalz kept looking over his shoulder back at him, but C.C. had a trick for that too. With just the dainty touch of her fingers on his shoulder and a flutter of her eyelashes she was able to gain the boy's full attention, distracting him sufficiently for her to drag him off.

Once he was fully alone, Lelouch turned to face the television and hit a button on his couch's armrest. The flashing message in its corner expanded to fill the whole screen, and much to his lack of surprise revealed the image of Schneizel el Britannia, frowning at him with exaggerated sadness.

 _"_ _Do you enjoy forcing others to submit to your will, Lelouch?"_ he wondered.

If ever Lelouch had heard a rhetorical question, that would be it. He growled back.

"What do you want?"

 _"I've gathered all the FLEIJA warheads. They're deployed to the Damocles."_

Schneizel was talking past him. Of course he was. Even now Lelouch's older brother underestimated him - saw him as a trifling child like he always had. But that also exposed his motives. This was probably being recorded, and he planned on releasing it to the world when it was done, with Lelouch looking like a tyrant and himself a saint attempting to talk him down from the edge.

Well, two could play at that game, and it was one Lelouch had become exceptionally good at.

"You're prepared to attack the Britannian Emperor?"

 _"I'm afraid that's a moot point since I don't recognize you as the emperor, Lelouch."_

"I see." The edge of Lelouch's lips curled into a smirk of disdain. "I suppose you think that you're best suited to rule."

 _ **"**_ _No, you're mistaken,"_ the prince answered simply. _"There's another who's destined for the throne-"_ the image in front of Lelouch panned down as Schneizel elucidated, _"-because the one who's truly best suited to rule Britannia is right here."_

Lelouch felt himself sink into his seat and his fists tighten at the sight before him. Featured in the center of the screen was none other than Nunnally vi Britannia, his only full-blooded sibling.

 _"Listen well, Lelouch,"_ she said sternly, more force in her voice now than Lelouch had ever heard from her before. _"I declare, you're my enemy from now on."_

Lelouch could scarcely believe it. Nunnally was alive. The shock of it was enough for his mind to go blank. All his plans fled from his thoughts, replaced only with Nunnally: She was beautiful - more than ever before. Yet a frown blemished her face, and there was a harshness in her tone that stabbed at his heart.

It was only thanks to Sayoko that Lelouch didn't lose his composure entirely. The mere fact that she was alive after being caught by the power of FLEIJA raised a great many questions, but it answered at least one of them as well. If Sayoko had survived the Second Battle for Tokyo, then, he thought, there might've been a chance that Nunnally survived as well.

It was dangerous to hope, Lelouch knew, but at the very least, when Sayoko returned, in his mind the possibility of his sister being alive had gone up from zero.

His surprise at the confirmation of that possibility was painful, but not as bad as it could have been. If he'd been caught entirely unaware...

"Nunnally..." Lelouch breathed in shock and disbelief, his body held frozen, as if moving might cause her to disappear. "It's you. You're alive."

 _"Yes. Thanks to our brother Schneizel."_

The mention of Schneizel snapped Lelouch out of his stupour. His eyes, held wide, now narrowed, and his open jaw clenched tight, his lips peeling back to show bared teeth.

"Schneizel…"

 _"I know everything now - about you..."_ She paused, and when Nunnally continued it was more somberly, as though she wasn't angry - only disappointed. _"And also your Geass... Lelouch, you were Zero all along, weren't you? Why?! Tell me! Were you doing it for my sake? Because if you were, that means-"_

Nunnally had mentioned Geass. And the fact that he'd been Zero. Even if this conversation was being recorded, it wasn't likely Schneizel could release it now, even edited. It wasn't much, but it was a small relief for Lelouch. However...

"For your sake?" the king interrupted his sister, a hint of annoyance entering his voice.

Lelouch considered. Becoming Zero, building the Black Knights, putting his life on the line to overthrow Britannia... Maybe that had all been for Nunnally's sake at first, but his motivation had definitely changed somewhere down the line.

Once, Nunnally had been his entire world. But with the mask had come new responsibilities. His world grew - by necessity, and faster than he could control. More than just a few Japanese resistance members had come to rely on him. Hundreds of soldiers had cheered his name and depended on his guidance - soldiers with faces; with names and histories. Entire nations pledged their support to him with the expectation that Zero could deliver victory.

Then when he confronted Charles... Did Lelouch prevent the Ragnarok Connection for Nunnally? Did he really defy immortal beings, and C's World itself, to cancel the apocalypse only for Nunnally?

She sat there before Lelouch, in the presence of Schneizel, who had insisted on the use of FLEIJA during the Second Black Rebellion, and dared to question his motives? Was his own little sister about to lecture him? If it weren't for him knowing it was Nunnally, he'd assume it was Euphemia he was speaking to. Even then, Euphy had the good sense not to condemn him.

It took all of Lelouch's effort to keep himself from twitching as a sudden, sinister rage overtook him, and his answer to Nunnally was cold.

"You think everyone will be kinder to each other simply because you want them to be?" Again he thought back to Euphemia. "No..."

All he ever wanted... What Lelouch had wanted more than anything after becoming Zero, but what he could never ask for; could never admit to wanting in the first place... It was acknowledgement. He wanted to be with Nunnally and be happy, but more than that, he wanted her to know what he'd done, and know that he'd done it for her. He wanted her to appreciate what he'd accomplished despite odds that were too large to even be called overwhelming. And he wanted her to know how much it had cost him, how much he'd sacrificed, and how much he was suffering for it even now.

She didn't approve of him becoming Zero? She didn't approve of his methods? Was that it? Those were Suzaku's opinions for the longest time, but even he had learned better after enough pain. Yet Nunnally still...

"You don't get it," Lelouch snapped. With every passing moment he was working himself up more and more, to the point that shouting at his one true sister, something that would have been unthinkable to him just a couple years ago, didn't seem unreasonable at all. "That's just not how the real world works."

Onscreen Nunnally sat back in her wheelchair, genuinely taken aback.

 _"But Lelouch-"_ she pleaded, holding out her hand to him, only to be cut off once more.

"YOU...!"

Nunnally cocked her head to the side in confusion.

 _"Lelouch?"_

The way she spoke, the way she reached out to him - it all evoked the memory of Euphemia in Lelouch, the Pink Princess' image almost seeming to appear overlaid on top of Nunnally's, smiling at him, and asking him to drop everything to go along with her plans. In his mind's eye he saw her, his li Britannia sister, beckoning him, tempting him with kindness, and in response Lelouch snarled.

"Even from beyond the grave you're asking me to submit to your blind idealism!? An impossible future based on empty dreams!"

 _"Lelouch. What are you...?"_

Lelouch continued though as if Nunnally hadn't said a word.

"The world is bigger than your palaces and high towers. Why can't you understand? It won't change to suit you no matter how much you wish for it!"

Realizing his emotions were getting out of control, Lelouch paused to breathe, then let his voice fall to a whisper that dripped with menace.

"Everyone is tired of the unthinking promises of sheltered princesses. Now is the final time for action, not rhetoric - a world of deeds, and not words. I won't fall for your benevolence again. Never again."

Lelouch imagined that Euphemia was upset by his declaration. Her mirage onscreen, where Nunnally was supposed to be, slowly began to weep, and Lelouch felt himself slipping, wanting to give in to her request for peace one last time.

Then he blinked. He swallowed and blinked again. It was as if he were waking from a vivid and exhausting dream. The image of Euphemia that he imagined was gone, and only Nunnally remained. Her eyes were shut, but he knew her confusion and sadness even without seeing them.

With a huff, Lelouch hit a button on the couch's armrest, and the tv switched off, the video call ending. He sat in silence, blinking and trying to regain his focus. He was feeling strange. So many emotions were filling his head. Was he feeling relief that his sister was alive? Joy even?

There was outrage though, he knew that much. Schneizel had saved Nunnally from death, yes, but he'd also cleverly hidden that truth from him. He'd waited for so long just to reveal that fact, and, Lelouch had to admit, it was remarkable in its effectiveness.

Before he realized it tears had begun to fall from Lelouch's eyes unbidden, and he fought to keep his breathing steady. Nunnally hated him. She said she was his enemy. So she would oppose him, then? To what end? And what did Schneizel mean? Was he saying that he wanted her to become Empress?

After a moment Lelouch regained his bearings and scowled, wiping his eyes with the warm red fabric of his robes. He tilted his head to the side and glared. C.C. was there. She stood silent and unmoving by the door to his cabin, watching him as she always did. Always watching.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The Skyfortress Damocles was the world's first true superweapon. As Lelouch had come to learn, it was commissioned in secret by Schneizel more than a year ago, shortly after hiring Nina, and was built in Cambodia - UFN territory - right under the nose of the Black Knights. It was absolutely giant, a spiralling, gleaming white castle tower equipped with more than a hundred heavy Float systems and guarded by unbreakable Blaze Luminous particle shields. For armament it boasted hundreds of anti-knightmare machineguns, hadron blasters, and missile platforms, and its primary weapon: A FLEIJA launcher.

It drifted through the sky above what once was Pendragon City, defying gravity, a scepter of god that had delivered judgement. There was nothing left of Britannia's capital, only the characteristic hole in the earth that FLEIJA left after being used against a target.

At the Damocles' apex was a shining gold palace, and deep within its walls was Nunnally. She sat at the center of a great, domed garden, a huge screen built above its entrance, upon which just moments before, had been the image of Lelouch, scowling down upon her. To her left and right was Schneizel and Kanon, her sister Cornelia, and a man she didn't know very well yet named Diethard, all there to support her as she confronted her brother about what he'd been doing until now. But upon actually speaking to him, and having him abruptly end their conversation, Nunnally suddenly began to feel very conflicted about her choice to oppose him.

It must have been evident on her face, because Cornelia quickly knelt and placed a hand atop Nunnally's own.

"Are you all right, Nunnally?" she asked softly.

Schneizel mirrored his warrior sister's pose and took Nunnally's other hand.

"That must have been very hard for you, Nunnally."

Diethard furrowed his brow as he watched the siblings. They sure seemed to be treating the former Viceroy of Area 11 with care. Were they underestimating her maturity? Or was Nunnally really that weak that she couldn't handle being yelled at? Surely, he figured, if she were really Zero's sister she must have had some mettle to her.

After the whole affair of unmasking Zero and putting him to the firing squad, failure as that may have been, Diethard had quickly become disillusioned with the Black Knights. All he'd ever done was try to secure victory for Zero, but his reward for all that effort was distrust from his fellow officers, and Ohgi in particular.

Of all things, it was the fact he'd been cautious of the Deputy Commander's loyalties that caused him to become a pariah. To his mind it was entirely sensible to be wary of the man. It was part of his job in the Black Knights to keep an open eye for treachery, within as well as without.

Ohgi had been acting strangely for a long time, even before the very first Black Rebellion. It only became more suspicious when, during that disasterous battle, Minami had given a report that Ohgi was seeing a spy Diethard had not first checked out.

A spy that worked directly for Ohgi? Highly questionable. Zero may have had spies that weren't cleared with Diethard first, but Zero was a genius who would do anything for victory. Ohgi was a kindhearted fool, perfect as a public face for their Order, but not much else.

Then Ohgi was found shot! And the spy? She was nowhere to be found.

Only later did Diethard learn that it was Villetta Nu whom Ohgi had been consorting with. Of course he locked her up when he found out! He knew her better than Ohgi. They'd met on quite a few occasions when Jeremiah was Acting Consul on behalf of the late Prince Clovis, and even afterward they'd kept in contact. She was obsessed with gaining personal power and prestige - Diethard had met her type a dozen times before.

As soon as Zero was out though, Oghi took over and Villetta was released, and when they were alone they gave Diethard a beating he thought finally set him straight: To hell with the Black Knights and to hell with Japan. Without Zero, there wasn't any point to anything they were doing anymore anyway.

With that decision made, the next chance he got Diethard asked Schneizel if he could join him instead. It wasn't like he could go back to his day job anymore.

Standing across from him on Nunnally's other side, Kanon gave Diethard a look and glanced toward the door. It was clear he thought they should give the royal siblings some privacy. As reply Diethard nodded back, and as quietly as they could they each stepped away and made for the exit.

As Kanon and Diethard made their leave, Schneizel continued to discuss the subject of Lelouch with his sisters unimpeded.

"I thought showing him the power of the FLEIJA might convince him to surrender," he said with a rueful shake of his head.

Nunnally couldn't help but sink her in wheelchair at how things had turned out. She thought she knew what to expect from Lelouch. She and Schneizel were sure they could convince him to back down and see reason if only she could talk to him. He was her one true brother, so it made sense only she could make him understand. What he was doing was wrong. Controlling people was wrong. Killing their father and usurping the Throne was wrong. No matter if he had good intentions, it would all amount to nothing in the end. Schneizel had told her so!

No matter how prepared she thought she'd been, it still hurt to consider Lelouch her enemy, and hoping to ease her mind, Nunnally changed the subject.

"Schneizel, are the people of Pendragon really alright?" Her brother had assured her before using FLEIJA that no one would be harmed. He wouldn't lie about something like that. Still, the idea of bombing a whole city didn't quite sit right with Nunnally, so she had to check. "Are you sure they're safe?"

"You needn't worry," Schneizel answered warmly, his smile carrying through in the sound of his voice. "We gave warning for them to evacuate well in advance. Of course, the damage to the city was significant, but we did everything we could to minimize it."

Cornelia raised a brow at her brother's statement. Significant damage? Minimize it? There was nothing left!

Nunnally meanwhile remained blissfully unaware of her sister's reaction to Schneizel's assertion.

"But now we'll have to use the weapons on people - on Lelouch and his followers."

The prince answered simply. Quickly. Almost eagerly.

"If they stand in the way of world peace, we'll have no choice."

"Schneizel," Cornelia asked suddenly, "may I please have a word with you?"

"Of course." Schneizel looked to Nunnally one last time. "Will you be alright here by yourself, Nunnally?"

She nodded.

"I'll be fine. I have a lot to think about."

After that Nunnally heard footsteps against the tiled floor - Cornelia and Schneizel leaving to talk in private - and when she was alone she let out a troubled sigh. It felt to her like everything she knew was a lie.

Lelouch had a magical power. He was able to control people's minds. How was that even possible? The evidence all seemed to prove it. There was even a recording of Lelouch admitting that it was true. Nunnally still found it hard to wrap her mind around the idea though. If Geass was real, did that mean other supernatural phenomena existed? Was Lelouch the only one with this power? How did he get it? Was he born with it? Was it an inherited trait?

Cornelia claimed that she'd been researching Geass, so Nunnally thought her sister might be able to answer her questions, but the Purple Witch of Britannia barely knew any more than anyone else. Apparently she'd discovered a cult that worshipped Geass and tracked them down, but even then hadn't learned anything. All she knew for certain was some obscure Old Britannian folklore about geas - some kind of magical contract: If the person who formed the contract abided by its terms they would be blessed, but if they violated them, they would be cursed. How that related to Lelouch's Geass, if at all, Nunnally couldn't begin to fathom.

If Geass existing in the first place wasn't enough to make Nunnally's head spin, Zero's true identity was revealed to her: It had been Lelouch all along. Cornelia and Schneizel both confirmed it. That meant all those times he stayed out late gambling, or going on meaningless dates, or whatever excuse he contrived, Lelouch had actually been with the Black Knights. Lelouch, her own brother, who was always such a loner, who would never harm another human being, preached of rebellion to crowds of screaming radicals, and blood spilled wherever he went.

After the Second Battle for Tokyo Schneizel made peace with the Black Knights. That meant he'd achieved world peace! But for some reason Lelouch refused to accept it. He was the only one who still wanted more fighting. It didn't make any sense to Nunnally.

What was it he really wanted? Why had he stolen their father's crown? If being Emperor wasn't his goal, then what was? For all that Nunnally knew about Lelouch and what he'd done, his motives seemed incomprehensible.

Cornelia thought Lelouch believed what he was doing would benefit Nunnally somehow. Schneizel seemed convinced he took pleasure in destroying solely for its own sake. Nunnally wasn't sure if either of those were right.

While speaking to him she got the sense that Lelouch wanted to help all people rather than just her. His behaviour was so odd though she couldn't be sure. His words were confusing to her, like he was responding to something Nunnally hadn't actually said. It seemed to her almost as if her brother was speaking to someone else entirely.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Lelouch and C.C. stared at each other in the king's personal jet for almost a full minute in complete silence, each daring the other to speak. It was hardly a rare occurrence between them, and Lelouch would usually decide he had more important things to do and break the silence first. This time however he remained deadly quiet, simply peering at his immortal accomplice from below a furrowed brow until she shrugged and tossed her hair.

"You didn't have to be so hard on your sister like that, you know." She rolled her eyes at Lelouch. "You're playing the hero rather than the villain, after all."

She was being just as flippant as usual, but there was a touch of something in her voice that betrayed her true intentions. It was a softness, contrasting the edge that normally tinted her every little comment.

Lelouch's icy glare didn't budge.

"You don't seem especially surprised that Nunnally is alive."

"Sayoko just explained about that in the other room."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"She can explain it again."

"What's the matter, Lelouch?" All traces of playfulness dropped from C.C.'s demeanor in an instant. She regarded the Emperor, to her eyes still barely a child, yet possessed of a haunted gaze that belied his youth, and her face filled with genuine concern. "This isn't the first time you've had to confront your sister. What's different about it now?"

Lelouch didn't answer right away. He kept his eyes trained on C.C., scrutinizing her, watching for any sign of guilt that she knew Nunnally had been alive yet chose not to tell him. At length though he let out a long breath and relaxed in his seat.

"You didn't know."

"You can hardly expect me to know everything," she said, the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips. "I'm only a witch. Not a god."

Lelouch nodded slightly, though again remained quiet. His thoughts had begun to swirl through his mind like a hurricane once more. Nunnally was alive. She was his enemy, allied with Schneizel, but she was alive.

At first he'd been shocked senseless by the revelation, unable to choose between the myriad emotions that sprung up within him. But now Lelouch was back in control of himself. He really didn't want to fight his little sister. Even now she still meant the world to him. She'd been used by Charles, and now was being used by Schneizel. She didn't deserve any of this.

And yet, Lelouch had decided. He and Suzaku and C.C. had decided, together, beneath the light of Jupiter, with all of C's World bearing witness.

He began to snicker.

"Lelouch?" C.C. questioned as his laughter slowly grew in volume and intensity. "Are you alright?"

Nunnally was alive. And yet it changed nothing. The Zero Requiem had already begun. Her presence complicated things, so he would have to alter the plan, but if she was determined to be his enemy, he would have to treat her like one.

Nothing was off the table anymore.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Aboard the Damocles Cornelia followed her brother out from Nunnally's garden and into a passageway leading to the castle's throne room. Here was the living quarters of the royal siblings and their officers. Here there was colour, there was wallpaper and paintings and comforts. No expense had been spared in outfitting their palace summit.

Below the castle, all along the length of the Skyfortress, were the lower decks, where the most critical systems were housed and the battlestation's crew resided. Here there were only steel grey walls and florescent luminators. At random intervals between bulkheads bunches of wires sprouted from between wall plates, and engineers still milled about installing secondary features.

Unseen by any onlookers, the Damocles interior betrayed how rushed into service the Skyfortress really was. Still though, it was a technological marvel, the first and perhaps only of its kind. Even counting numerous shortcuts taken to expedite its construction, for it to be fully operational so quickly was nothing short of extraordinary.

Cornelia eyed Schneizel warily as they entered the throne room. As with most Britannian-style architecture it was majestic, large and open, with a high ceiling and tall arched windows, through which streamed the first orange rays of dusk. A long carpet flanked by white columns marked the path from the entrance to a raised platform, the throne resting in its center. It was overlooked by twin statues of vengeful angels and behind it was a grand display screen, currently switched off.

Besides the sun, the only light in the room came from status lamps in the floor, blue at the moment to indicate no problem, and Schneizel dutifully flipped a switch to turn on the main overheads.

"What did you wish to talk about, Cornelia?" he asked, not needing to make sure they were alone.

"About Pendragon." She watched her brother carefully, keeping an even tone for now. "We were only going to destroy some of the city to make a point, not all of it."

Schneizel smiled back - an empty smile, devoid of any real mirth.

"Yes, that's what we decided."

Cornelia gave him a moment to elaborate, but the prince said nothing more. He simply continued smiling down on her, without urgency and without concern.

In the past Cornelia had adored that about Schneizel, that he was always so levelheaded and dependable, no matter how dire the situation. Here though, now, she found it infuriating. They were supposed to be working together to fight Lelouch, and yet he'd gone behind her back and crossed a line not even she had the stomach for.

"Why, then!? There's no way the entire city could evacuate, even if you warned them ahead of time!"

"My dear sister," Schneizel began, sinister sweet, patronizing her from behind his smile, "that's exactly why I didn't bother."

"You..." Cornelia reflexively took a step back, horror overwhelming her. "No... You killed them."

"I made the citizens of Pendragon vanish. It was better for them than a life swearing loyalty to Lelouch, wouldn't you say?"

Cornelia shook her head in defiance.

 **"** They couldn't all have been under Lelouch's Geass. There were millions of people in Pendragon - OUR people!"

"Can you say with certainty that not all of them were affected? Even now we don't truly know the extent of his powers. You and I could be under his influence at this very moment."

"I refuse to believe that!" Cornelia had regained her bearings, and she lashed a hand through the air before her, emphasizing her words as she struck down her brother's theorizing. "You saw what happened when Lelouch became emperor. One second Odysseus and the others were denouncing him, the next they were praising his name. If we were under his power I doubt we'd even be able to think of opposing him!"

A tense moment of silence passed between the siblings, Cornelia watching Schneizel and he watching her unflinchingly back. That was when she realized it, and her strength faltered anew.

"Don't tell me," she questioned weakly, her voice trembling, "you already considered that, didn't you?"

He'd killed them. Schneizel had ordered a FLEIJA warhead to be dropped on Pendragon, destroying the whole city and killing everyone, without warning, and most egregious, without care for their innocence.

Cornelia could admit to doing the same over her blood-filled career, but then precision had always been applied. Innocent civilians died in crossfires, or else were wrongly executed under suspicions of working with terrorists - inevitable accidents. Other times they were simply used as an example to discourage others from rising up against her - an unfortunate necessity of ruling a conquered enemy.

But never had Cornelia butchered so many at once, and not without first considering the consequences. What Schneizel had done was nothing short of senseless murder. He didn't even believe his own flimsy excuse to justify it!

"Cornelia," Schneizel addressed warmly, "what is it that people truly want?"

The prince didn't deny his sister's accusations. He was ignoring them entirely, or else figured they simply weren't worth responding to in the first place. Instead he changed the subject, growing suddenly very contemplative.

"Starvation and poverty? Discrimination and corruption? War and terrorism? People want the problems that are flooding the world to go away forever. They can't understand each other at all carrying such burdens."

He spoke with conviction, but Cornelia thought it was hollow - detached. It was to her like Schneizel was reciting lines of philosophy he'd read in a book rather than speaking from a place of personal wisdom.

All she could do was slowly shake her head in disbelief, dread filling her ever more with every word he spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

Schneizel smiled lightly at his sister and began to explain.

 **"** It's a simple fact of nature that people are driven by their own desires. It's why democracies throughout history have always been short-lived, replaced with a king or a dictator. When we acknowledge that there's no changing what dwells within the soul of man the answer becomes clear: Humans were made to be ruled. They yearn for someone strong to control the bad people and also themselves.

"So, why not give them that? Why not bring peace to the world with the system 'power'?"

Schneizel turned his back to Cornelia and approached the raised platform at the room's center, ascending it to sit upon his throne.

"I expect the UFN to take action against Lelouch soon," he mused, looking down upon Cornelia. "Especially now that Pendragon is gone. The Black Knights will surely seek out my assistance. And when he is defeated-" Schneizel paused dramatically, then said: "-we will hit every remaining nation with FLEIJA."

Cornelia gawked in gross horror.

"You're insane. What you're proposing would destroy the world."

She spoke the words like they were divine prophecy. Schneizel's smile only widened, the prince quite pleased she was following along.

"Yes, it would. Such a show of power would shatter every governing system, and all humanity would band together to pick up the pieces. You need look no further than Japan for proof of that. The Tokyo Settlement was destroyed by FLEIJA, and all those who survived, Britannian or Japanese, have shed their differences to mourn and rebuild.

"Damocles will be established as the one true authority on this earth. Under its reign humanity will be reborn in a better world."

At that moment the display screen in the wall flashed on. Cornelia peered across the room and Schneizel swiveled his seat, and they were met with the image of Kanon, standing at attention in what looked to be a lower decks control room.

 _"Prince Schneizel, we've made contact with the Black Knights,"_ he reported. _"It's as you predicted. Lelouch's forces have begun to attack. They say if you plan to kill him they're willing to join you immediately."_

Schneizel gave a short sigh.

"I see. So the war has started. Thank you, Kanon."

With a tap of his finger against a button on his throne's armrest, the screen switched off once more. He slowly spun back to face his sister, finding a question in her stare: Why?

"The Black Knights experienced Lelouch's tyranny first-hand," Schneizel explained solemnly. "They have no alternative but to choose the lesser of evils."

Cornelia shook her head vehemently, steel entering her voice one final time as shock gave way to contempt.

"Lelouch didn't take any hostile actions beyond stealing the Throne." She pointed sharply up at him. "You've started a world war!"

There was no response from Schneizel. Not a word. He made no further defense for his actions. All his plans and motives were out in the open now.

Cornelia hesitated - only for a breath. She grimaced and she decided. Slow and purposeful, she reached for the sword at her belt.

"You've forced me to choose the lesser of evils as well."

She charged. She drew her blade. Schneizel frowned in sorrow and tapped a button on his throne.

Cracks of gunfire erupted from hidden sentry turrets, unfolding from ports in the walls.

Cornelia fell.

Thoughts flooded her mind - waves of memories; of Euphemia, Guilford, Clovis... Of Marianne and Nunnally... She had failed. She'd failed them all.

Yet there was still hope.

Cornelia crumpled to the floor. She felt liquid filling her throat and could taste something warm and metallic on her tongue. She imagined Lelouch's face, clearer than if he were right in front of her, his eyes alight with Geass.

She could not speak, but she struggled all the same, and she mouthed a single word.

 _Hurry._

And so Princess Cornelia, daughter of the Empire, the most fearsome general and combatant the Realm had seen in a generation, the last child of the li Britannia lineage, died.

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL


	5. Keeping Lies 5: The Butterfly Effect

**R2 Episode 23: Heroes' Blood-II**

When C.C. stepped out from Lelouch's cabin, that left Rivalz and Nina alone with Jeremiah and Sayoko. Who the mysterious greenette, called only by her initials, really was, they still had no idea, but she was clearly in a position of importance. For now they could only assume she was the Emperor's confidante. They hadn't been eager to ask her personally, and although Margrave Jeremiah, and this Sayoko woman, seemed at ease with her and might have the answers they sought, the teens still weren't especially comfortable broaching the topic with them either.

The once-disgraced nobleman knelt by a large bed fitted with dark purple covers, watching over Sayoko resting upon it. She too was an unknown for the Ashford students, but had a more discernable link to the Royal Family than C.C.

She appeared from what she said to be some kind of special agent for Lelouch, and had been since before he became Emperor. As soon as C.C. was in sight she began telling her the results of some mission to rescue Princess Nunnally. The fact two civilians were present as well didn't seem to matter to her. Perhaps it didn't.

After a time the door opened and Lelouch, draped in his fineries, and C.C., wrapped in her trusty white straightjacket, entered.

Rivalz had been staring intently at the pink carpet, Nina's hand in his to provide some reassurance, and when their friend returned he looked up with relief.

"Lelouch!"

Lelouch nodded and held out a hand to acknowledge the boy.

Sayoko attempted to sit up.

"Master Lelouch..."

Lelouch extended his raised hand to her, bidding her lay back down.

"Just relax, Miss Sayoko."

She seemed reluctant at first, but eventually Sayoko obeyed and eased herself back down. Lelouch observed her carefully, running his eyes up and down her frame. She truly was in bad shape. In addition, she was even still wearing her battle uniform from the night of his last operation as Zero, when FLEIJA was demonstrated to the world.

"Rivalz." Lelouch addressed his friend, making eye contact then moving on to Nina. "Nina. I know what's going on doesn't seem to make much sense. I can't right now, but I will explain what's going on - what's been going on from the beginning. I promise. No matter what else-" he paused mid-statement, his brow furrowing, seemingly in regret, "-I am still the Lelouch you know."

As soon as Lelouch had made his oath, Rivalz and Nina turned their heads and shared a look, conferring wordlessly amongst themselves. Rivalz gulped and forced a smile, still not quite sure how he was supposed to act around the Emperor, his once-classmate. Nina looked on, despondent and unresponsive.

Less than ideal reactions, Lelouch decided. He really would have to make things right with them later. For now though, there was the matter of Nunnally.

"Sayoko," Lelouch began gently, "can you tell me what happened?"

The ninja-maid gave a small sound of acknowledgement.

"My lord, there were two escape planes during the battle of Tokyo. The one destroyed by FLEIJA was a decoy."

Lelouch held back a scowl. A decoy. Of course. He should have known. If his mind have been centered and clear that night he had no doubt the thought would have occurred to him. But that was all speculative - it was so incredibly easy to criticize his past self for what he could not see at the time. It was also pointless.

"I reached Miss Nunnally," Sayoko continued glumly, "but her plane took off before I could get her out. We were picked up by Schneizel's forces. I was wounded while making my escape. I've been hiding in the Tokyo slums ever since."

Now, Lelouch thought, her limp and the bloodstains on her clothes made sense. She'd been shot, apparently through the flesh above her hip, luckily missing the bone, perhaps as she was rounding a corner. There was more though. She wasn't saying it, but the implication was there. If she was in hiding for two months while Lelouch was away in Britannia, she probably didn't receive proper medical attention. She must've had to patch herself up with whatever materials she could get her hands on.

He'd have to arrange for her to receive physical therapy as soon as possible. Even so, Lelouch knew. He'd looked into the matter a great deal over the years because of Nunnally. Sayoko may have had her life, but the bullet that hit her must have severed nerves to her leg. She likely would never move it again.

Sayoko could tell what Lelouch was thinking. She'd spent several years attending to him and his sister on the Ashfords' order. She knew the look he wore on his face. Besides, she'd already come to the same conclusions about her condition.

Regardless though, there was no time to dwell on it.

"When I heard you would be coming to Tokyo again I knew it would be my only chance to report in." Shame consumed Sayoko's face, and she looked away, preferring the comforting sight of the navy blue wallpaper over meeting Lelouch's gaze. Right now she just couldn't bear to look him in the eye. "Mission failed, sir."

Silence was the only reply Sayoko received. Lelouch looked with sympathy upon his broken agent, once his maid and he her ward. Rivalz and Nina glanced between them uncertainly feeling the mood dip uncomfortably. C.C. watched on - always watching. Jeremiah narrowed his eyes as an idea struck him.

"You're Japanese, aren't you?" At his query Sayoko rolled on Lelouch's bed to face the cyborg. "Why did you hide? Why didn't go back to the Black Knights?"

Sayoko's expression shifted abruptly, at once becoming deadly serious.

"Master Lelouch," she started gravely, "there's something else you need to know."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The open sea was beautiful, Kallen thought.

She sat in the cockpit of the Guren SEITEN, pressing the hulking warmachine forward at top speed through the air, a streak of red and sparkling pink against an infinite backdrop of blue. She'd been flying for a while now, and all she could see was the vast Pacific, Japan long behind her and every tie she still had to the Black Knights with it.

After leaving Ashford ahead of Lelouch, Kallen had gone straight for her knightmare, and as expected found it waiting for her just outside the school. There were Black Knights guarding it, but she only had to throw them a lie and seem in a hurry for them to back off. After all, as far as they knew she was still the Captain of Zero Squad.

It was only after she began the startup sequence that she had any trouble. The SEITEN was still linked up to the Ikaruga's comm network, so the moment Kallen stuck in the ignition key every officer on the flagship's bridge was fully aware of it.

Ohgi opened a channel to ask Kallen what she was doing almost immediately, but she cut all communications without answering. Seconds later she was in the air and the Black Knights were scrambling to pursue her. She doubted they knew she'd joined Lelouch, but Kallen figured she'd made it apparent at the very least that she wasn't on their side anymore. Not that it was any bother for her. She'd gained a huge head start, and the SEITEN was faster than anything the Knights could send against her. All she had to do was fly forward and she'd escaped the Black Knights' grasp entirely.

Which brought her neatly to where she was now - alone, flying over the ocean.

It was a strange thought for Kallen that she was no longer a Black Knight. She'd devoted herself so fully to Zero and his cause it had become a major part of her identity. Or at least, that's how she saw it. She never thought a time would come that she'd leave them. Yet that's exactly what she'd done, and surprisingly she didn't feel the slightest bit of regret for it. She felt as though she were filled with energy; she felt lighter, like she'd finally thrown off chains she hadn't been aware were placed upon her.

Once, it had been the height of liberation for her to fight Britannia and call herself a part of something. The Black Knights' betrayal of Zero though caused her to question her position in their army. All of a sudden she stopped feeling at home amongst longtime friends and dutiful comrades, and now that she'd abandoned them, she knew why.

Kallen was the first and the last of the old guard. Everyone else had eventually come to accept the change of leadership after Zero 'died from his wounds'. Kallen could not. Lelouch had been the key to all of it. Without him there was nothing - the Black Knights were nothing.

Kallen was following her heart by following Lelouch, and nothing could top that feeling.

There was a beep from Kallen's radar, and she glanced over to it. An unknown knightmare was coming directly toward her, though it was still too far away to bring up on visuals.

Kallen figured it must have been Suzaku in the Albion, and her assumption proved correct seconds later. The other knightmare hailed her, and a window opened on her HUD to show Suzaku's ever-humourless face.

 _"Kallen,"_ Suzaku questioned uncertainly, _"is that really you?"_

The redhead smirked back.

"Yeah, I'm real happy to see you too, Suzaku."

 _"I don't know what's going on, Kallen, but you shouldn't be here. You should be at home, safe."_

"Huh. You two really are alike."

The image of Suzaku on Kallen's HUD scrunched his face in confusion, and she laughed. He wasn't as bright as Lelouch, so that was one difference at least.

"Lelouch said the same thing about going home," Kallen clarified. "And that's precisely what I'm doing. Wherever Lelouch goes, that's my home."

Now fully understanding what she meant, Suzaku frowned. He disapproved of her choice, that much was obvious. It still surprised Kallen though. He didn't appear angry that she was forcing herself into his and Lelouch's affairs. If anything, he seemed worried for her.

She decided to change the subject.

"Hey, Suzaku. I want to know something. How many people is Lelouch controlling with his Geass, really?"

Suzaku hesitated at her request, then sighed.

 _"It's not as many as you might think. Lelouch only used Geass to ensure the loyalty of his generals, the Imperial Guard, and his Ministers."_ He stifled a groan at the mention of the politicians. _"We're still trying to find out how many of them are alive. Only a few were known to be outside the Capital today."_

"You're saying the rest of the army isn't under his control?"

Suzaku nodded, his expression darkening.

 _"That's right. I advocated using the power on everyone, but he said it wasn't necessary."_

Kallen balked.

"You wanted Lelouch to geass more people?"

In the distance Kallen could finally spot a twinkle, the Lancelot Albion just starting to come into view.

 _"We're up against someone who would use FLEIJA without hesitation,"_ Suzaku practically growled. _"We have to win, no matter what lines we have to cross."_

Kallen considered her rival's argument and couldn't find much room to disagree. Whatever conflict Lelouch had planned to instigate, if he'd had his way it most certainly would have excluded the use of FLEIJA.

Schneizel adopting the warheads as his primary weapon escalated things drastically. An army controlled by Geass - that would obey every order without question and had no need for morale - would be a paltry sin in comparison. They would be perfect pawns. Still though...

"You've changed, Suzaku," Kallen mused. "Back when you and I first fought, you never would have agreed to something like that, even if it meant allowing worse things to happen. And I..."

She scoffed to herself and donned a melancholy smile. She considered everything that had happened then willed herself to finish the thought.

"I guess I've changed too. No matter what evils I'm ordered to commit, if it's the will of His Majesty, then so be it."

Suzaku's expression softened. Gone was the warrior hell-bent on victory and vengeance, replaced with a weary veteran, filled only with disappointment at what Kallen had to say.

The Albion came fully into Kallen's view, polished white and gold, green wings shimmering, and paused before her.

 _"C'mon,"_ the image of Suzaku ordered quietly on Kallen's screen. Ahead of her the Albion waved an arm for her to follow, then bolted off back the way it came. _"They're waiting for us back at base."_

LLLLLLLLLLLL

After Sayoko finished her report for Lelouch, the emperor chose to let her rest, and asked that everyone return to the lounging room. There, he and C.C. each proceeded to take a nap themselves, leaving Rivalz and Nina uncomfortably alone with Jeremiah, who seemingly did not require sleep to function.

Eventually though, the jet's pilot made an announcement that they would be docking inside the Avalon for the last leg of the journey back to Hawaii, and Lelouch jolted into full alertness.

It had come as quite a surprise to the Black King after ascending the Throne to find his brother's Avalon in Britannia, apparently having left it in the dubious stewardship of Earl Asplund. It had caused him no small trouble before, when he'd worn the mask of Zero, though in truth that was mostly because Suzaku was never far behind. Even so, it felt right that he claim it for his own, if only to rub it in Schneizel's face when the inevitable conflict between them boiled over.

When it came time for his conference with the UFN, Lelouch naturally decided to take his flagship, though he and his Guardsmen deployed in short-range luxury jets to enter the city. After all, it would hurt the Zero Requiem if Emperor Lelouch was seen publicly alongside the famous knightmare carrier during a diplomatic meeting.

Soon enough after the pilot's announcement, the jet slowed and came to a stop, and its door opened to reveal the Avalon's hangar.

Lelouch glanced in Jeremiah's direction.

"Take Miss Sayoko to the infirmary. Rivalz, Nina-" he looked them each in the eye as he called their names, "-come with me for now."

The Emperor didn't wait for confirmations before standing and heading for the door. He exited, Rivalz and Nina rushing to stay close by his side and C.C. lazily moving to join them on her own time.

Jeremiah meanwhile returned to Lelouch's cabin and found Sayoko was fast asleep. She must have been exhausted after everything she'd been through. Her tale was a harrowing one, and the cyborg hesitated to wake her after everything she'd endured in service of his lord.

As it happened, he didn't have to. Sayoko's eyes flitted open as he entered the room, a reflex developed during her training as a ninja, and she relaxed at the sight of him.

"We're inside the Avalon now," he explained. "His Majesty asks that you be taken to the infirmary."

Sayoko hummed in acknowledgement and rolled over on Lelouch's bed, trying to get to her feet. She sucked in a breath and winced in pain, and Jeremiah frowned.

"What are you doing? You're in no condition for that right now." He drew close to her and held his arms out. "Come now."

The ninja-maid looked away, ashamed of her weakness, but reached her arms around Jeremiah's neck all the same.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"You've served your master well. Your wounds are proof of that. I don't mind carrying you."

He picked her up and held her close, and without delay headed straight for the Avalon's small hospital.

It took quite a while, even with an elevator ride cutting down on travelling distance. Sayoko didn't say much along the way, but after a few minutes Jeremiah prompted her.

"Miss Shinozaki, was it?" he asked, confirming her name.

She nodded back.

"Yes. And you're Jeremiah Gottwald, Margrave of Godswoodmarch."

"That's surprising. You know what part of Britannia I'm from?"

"It's my business to know who the Young Master spends his time with."

Sayoko chuckled weakly at her joke, and Jeremiah cracked a smile.

"I'm impressed," he said. "You're very loyal to His Majesty, aren't you?"

Lelouch's two servants came to a door marked by a large placard, and it opened automatically for them. Inside was a doctor sitting at a desk and checking through forms, and as they entered he looked up at them.

Jeremiah addressed the man tersely.

"I need you to look at an old bullet wound that only received field dressings."

"Oh," the doctor responded, standing and guiding the cyborg toward a bed where once a princess died. "Set the patient down here. I'll get everything we need."

With that, he scurried off, and Jeremiah followed his instructions, setting Sayoko carefully against the bed's stiff cushioning.

"Miss Shinozaki," Jeremiah began again once they were alone, "I want to thank you for your service to Master Lelouch and Nunnally before they had me."

Sayoko smiled up at him, a warm but pained smile. Britannian medical science was astounding, but she wasn't about to delude herself. It wasn't likely she was going to be able to serve anyone anymore - at least not as a ninja.

"If you are thankful, would you promise me...?" Her time as a fighter may have been cut short, but Lelouch and Nunnally's battles were not yet over. Sayoko knew - she was worthless to them now, when they needed her most. "Please protect them. Protect Master Lelouch and Mistress Nunnally for me where I no longer can."

Sayoko tried to stay strong, but Jeremiah could see her eyes begin to grow wet with tears. He cast his gaze upon her and furrowed his brow with the utmost determination, and set a metal fist against his heart.

"This," he vowed, "I solemnly swear."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

For Nina, the Avalon was nothing new. She'd been aboard the ship many times while working for Schneizel. For Rivalz, it was an otherworldly experience, the sheer amazement he felt at seeing the inside of a real Imperial KMF carrier overwhelming his lingering sense of unease.

After disembarking his jet, Lelouch led his Student Council friends out of the main hangar, on the way, Nina recognized, toward the central lift. From there, they could travel to any level of the warship - permitting they had the appropriate access codes. She herself used to have clearance to every deck except the bridge and officers' quarters.

That was probably no longer the case though, considering she was a deserter.

The Avalon crew seemed in more of a hurry than usual, Nina thought, like they were right before the Second Battle of Tokyo. Normally one could expect to encounter only a few people going from one area of the ship to another - the minimum crew number was actually quite small. Now the Avalon seemed to be up to full complement, and everyone appeared to be very much on edge.

Rivalz meanwhile didn't seem to notice.

"This is surreal," he gasped as they passed by a gaggle of engineers, who all thumped a fist against their hearts when they noticed Lelouch.

The group turned a corner and almost bumped straight into a peculiar man, bespectacled and silver-haired, and dressed in a long green military coat. Lelouch and C.C. sidestepped him though, almost as if they knew he was there before they saw him.

Before them was Lloyd Asplund, a perplexed frown smeared beneath his glasses, a distinctly foreign expression for someone normally so cheerful. Upon laying eyes on Lelouch however, the earl grinned with relief.

"Ah, Lulu! It's good you're back. Listen, we need to talk about-" He was about to launch into a discussion of highly classified information, no regard for who may be listening, but stopped when he spied a familiar face. "Oh? Nina?"

Nina blinked in dull surprise.

"Professor Lloyd?"

"Well," the ASEEC Director cooed, glancing back at Lelouch, "this is unexpected, Your Highness. You got me a gift! She's here a lot earlier than we planned."

Lelouch merely smiled in reply and gestured to the girl in question.

"She's all yours, Lord Asplund." He turned his head next to look Nina in the eye. "Nina, go with Lloyd. He'll explain everything."

The emperor spoke delicately, fully aware of how fragile Nina could be at times, but his gaze was piercing, making it instantly clear that she had no choice in the matter.

Nina nodded uncertainly, and, satisfied, Lelouch shifted his attention finally to Rivalz.

"Let's go, Rivalz."

He didn't wait for a reply, marching off without another word, C.C. trotting along behind him.

Lelouch's stride was long, and Rivalz was distracted watching Lloyd whisk Nina off, chatting pleasantly to her about something that sounded decidedly unpleasant. When he finally noticed Lelouch was leaving him behind, there was quite a distance between them, and he had to run to close it.

Luckily for the schoolboy though, the young king stopped in front of a metal door before long, allowing his friend to fully catch up. There was a control panel on the wall, and he typed in a code, the door opening and revealing an elevator car.

He entered, joined by C.C. and Rivalz, then selected their destination.

"I assume you know my history now?" Lelouch said once they were alone. He stared forward, not making eye contact, but Rivalz knew the question was directed at him. He nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, of course! After you showed up in Pendragon and said you were the emperor I couldn't believe it! I looked up the Imperial Family Tree, and there you were! How were you able to keep such a secret?"

Lelouch continued to stare forward.

"Nunnally and I were young when we were declared dead. We weren't household names yet."

"Yeah, but still...!"

A moment passed in silence, then Lelouch finally turned his head, his eyes narrowing and meeting Rivalz's own.

"I said that I would tell you everything, Rivalz," he reminded, not a trace of fun in his tone. It was darker than Rivalz was used to from Lelouch, and it made him pause.

"You've got a lot of secrets, don't you, pal?"

This was what Rivalz had been waiting for.

It was the day Shirley died when Lelouch and Rolo just disappeared, leaving Rivalz the only member of the Student Council left. He'd been alone for a long time, and had spent much of it wondering to himself what his best buddy could be doing and why.

When Lelouch went on international television and assumed the mantle of Emperor, Rivalz felt more alone than ever. He felt betrayed. Lelouch had been keeping something so big from him all this time - from all the Student Council. Did he not trust them? Did he not trust Rivalz? Were they even really friends at all?

All Rivalz had wanted was some answers, and now he was going to get them. He thought maybe he should be angry. He considered chastising Lelouch for lying to him; of course he'd been lying - Rivalz was no fool. He'd noticed Lelouch acting suspiciously for a long time, but never said anything about it. The boy had always been mysterious, but after getting caught up in the incident at Babel Tower he'd grown even more distant, if that were even possible. It was like a shadow had fallen over him, like he wasn't really himself anymore.

The moment had come at last, a moment Rivalz had imagined and reimagined for months - months spent deciding exactly how he felt about Lelouch and his lies. And so Rivalz gave his answer.

"Well, you can trust me! I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"

Now it was Lelouch's turn to pause. It was strange, he thought, how different those words were coming from Rivalz from when they came from Suzaku.

There was no malice in Rivalz's expression, and no sarcasm in his tone. He was being genuine.

"Yes," Lelouch said quietly. "We are."

He hesitated, unsure if he should proceed. He'd already lost so many friends. If even Rivalz abandoned him once he learned the truth...

Lelouch had already decided though. It was too late for him to change his mind.

"The truth is, Rivalz," he began somberly, "I am Zero."

Whatever Rivalz might have been expecting, that wasn't it.

"Huh?"

"I was always Zero. I was the one who killed my brother Clovis, who organized the Black Knights, and who declared war on Britannia."

A look of dull stupidity had fallen across Rivalz's face. His incomprehension at what Lelouch had revealed was utterly impossible to mistake, and the only response he could muster after staring goggle-eyed for what seemed like minutes was a single word:

"Why?"

"I did what I did for many reasons. Ultimately, none of them but one really mattered." Lelouch's brows descended into a hateful glower as he thought back; back to before taking the Throne, before allying himself with Suzaku - back to Ragnarok. "Charles zi Britannia, my father, was a monster who needed to die. Among other reasons, I became Zero to stop him from destroying the world.

"I don't expect you to agree. But that's how it is."

Rivalz continued to stare, not quite knowing how to respond.

"Wow. I..."

The schoolboy thought back to every time Lelouch went missing. He usually said he went gambling, but he wouldn't take Rivalz along with him. And there were those times before the first Black Rebellion when he and Kallen were both gone on the same days...

Lelouch was royalty, and had been all along. How far-fetched could it be that he was Zero all along as well?

As for Lelouch, he willed himself to not look away. He'd promised to tell the truth, and so he had. The only thing left for him to do now was to brace himself for whatever Rivalz had to say about it.

The door to the elevator opened, and yet Lelouch and Rivalz did not move, and neither did C.C., standing aside and watching them. Always watching.

Eventually Rivalz broke the silence.

"Thanks, Lelouch," he said, nodding to the king and allowing a grin to settle back onto his lips. "I'll keep your secret. And maybe one day you'll feel comfortable telling me more."

The boy, a mere commoner and still dressed in his school uniform, looked the Emperor of Britannia directly in the eyes and smirked.

"When that day comes-" he pointed to himself with his thumb, "-you can count on Rivalz Cardemonde!"

For one of the few instances of his life, Lelouch was rendered speechless. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again, no words coming. He gulped, feeling his body betray him, and smiled.

"Thank you," he choked out, trying to keep his eyes from tearing up, "my friend."

Normally Rivalz would have teased him about crying, but this time he didn't. He just kept on grinning, and let his friend compose himself.

Thankfully for Lelouch, it didn't take him long before he was in command of himself once more. He raised his chin and puffed out his chest, assuming a regal pose, and spoke.

"There's something I need to do now. Stay with C.C." He turned to C.C., who until now had remained silent - so much so if he wasn't already used to it, Lelouch might have forgotten she was even there at all. "C.C., take care of Rivalz."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, finally saying something for the first time in hours.

"If you insist. He can't be much worse company than Suzaku, at least." She received a glare of annoyance from Lelouch for her comment, but she merely smirked back, unphased. "Are you going to make a new best friend?"

Lelouch continued frowning at his Contractor for a few moments, then scoffed and smirked right back.

"Something like that."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

The metal doors of the Avalon's central lift opened, Lloyd Asplund walking out onto the airship's bridge with Nina trailing sheepishly behind.

"So that's the long and short of it," he said back to the girl with a shrug, finishing a previous thought.

Like the rest of the Avalon, the bridge was in a state of utter commotion. Every computer terminal was occupied by a technician, all of them chattering hurriedly into their headsets. Groups of men wearing pins and medals and stars on their uniforms argued at every corner of the room. Their words melded together in Nina's ears, each conversation layering on top of the next to become a single fluctuating, indecipherable buzz.

As Lloyd came into view though, a feminine voice called out, rising above all the other noise.

"Officer on deck!"

All at once everyone on the bridge faced toward the silver-haired noble. They went silent, many of them stopping mid-sentence, and they stood to attention.

Nina watched on in puzzlement for what seemed like an eternity as the crewmen stared forward at her mentor with furrowed brows. They remained quiet, leaving only the sound of incessant beeping from radars and strategic maps projected on the ship's windows, and the low thrum of the Avalon's engines.

The moment dragged on, growing more awkward every second until finally Lloyd panned his gaze across the room and let out an embarrassed chuckle. He waved a hand uncertainly.

"Um... Carry on."

There was a small delay as the bridge staff waited to return to their work, none of them wanting to be the first to move. Soon enough though a few of them turned back to their tasks, and the rest quickly followed, the low ambience of a dozen conversations returning with them.

Nina opened her mouth to ask Lloyd what just happened, but as something caught her eye she paused. There was still one person staring their way.

"Miss Croomy," she noted. She must have been the one who'd called out before.

"Nina?" Cécile hadn't noticed the girl hiding behind Lloyd until she spoke up. "What are you doing here?"

Cécile approached them, and as she got a bit closer it occurred to Nina that she was dressed differently than usual. In place of her orange ASEEC uniform, now she wore a long, sleeveless green coat and skirt, trimmed with gold thread and adorned with a symbol Nina didn't recognize over her breast. Long, pointed black boots reached up her bare legs, and a single emerald dangled from her belt.

"Le-" Nina started to answer her, stopping to correct herself, "-I mean, the Emperor brought me here."

As Cécile came to stand before them, looking upon Nina with curiosity and concern, Lloyd groaned.

"You really do enjoy embarrassing me, don't you, Miss Cécile?"

Cécile frowned, redirecting her attention to her superior.

"I do not," she sighed, shaking her head. "I just wish you would be a little more serious about all this."

Nina looked between the two of them in confusion, ever-bickering, and murmured.

"What're you talking about?"

Lloyd blinked and looked back at Nina, recalling her existence as quickly as he'd forgotten about it.

"Oh, I'm an admiral now. Little Lulu appointed me to the position. Thank goodness for the Empire's aristocratic tradition. How else are unqualified noblemen such as myself supposed to become officers?"

Cécile shook her head again.

"Suzaku trusts you, Lloyd," she chided, "and so Lelouch trusts you too."

"He certainly does - enough to let me in on all the unsavoury details of his plans." The man gave an exaggerated shudder. Checking over his shoulder at Nina, he could see the question on her lips, and he sighed. "That's the real reason I was given this job. I'm not here to fight battles or make decisions. I'm just here to make sure everything proceeds according to his grand design. I don't have any real power. I hope."

As Lloyd clarified the terms of his double-edged promotion for Nina, a technician seated near the front of the bridge turned round and called out.

"Admiral, report from ASEEC HQ: The RZA's repair and refit has just been completed."

The noble nodded once, confirming he'd heard the report, then hummed wearily.

"And considering the state of things, none too soon, I'd imagine."

With the original topic of discussion derailed, Cécile cut in once more, returning her attention to Nina.

"So, Nina, do you know why you're here?"

"Uh... Yes!" Nina nodded vigourously, shifting her gaze from Lloyd, a hand on his chin and his eyes staring off into the distance. "Lloyd told me all about it - about how FLEIJA was used to destroy Pendragon."

Lloyd leaned his head to Nina in contemplation and sighed once more.

"We're still waiting for answers, but for now the assumption is the Black Knights are responsible. Prince Schneizel may be involved as well, but we're not clear on how just yet."

"It's just awful," Nina whimpered. It was hard enough hearing about what had happened on its own, but being brought up again, it only seemed to make her feel worse. "I feel so guilty, like it's all my fault."

"Oh really?" There was a flicker of realization on Lloyd's face, his eyes going wide, and he yelped in sudden exuberance. "What a coincidence! His Majesty was hoping for just that!"

Nina's brow furrowed in confusion at Lloyd's words, and Cécile narrowed her eyes at the absent-minded lord. Too late he realized his faux pas, and he giggled nervously.

"Oh, well," he fumbled to explain, "His Majesty was very interested in learning more about FLEIJA, and your name just so happened to come up, Nina. You know, just once or twice."

Cécile frowned, doubt written clearly upon her face.

"Once or twice, you say?"

"Right! And it also just so happened, I may or may not have put the idea in the Emperor's head that you could come up with a countermeasure."

He faced Nina fully, peering from behind his glasses and past her own to look into her eyes. Relaxing a bit, he spoke once more, for her and no one else, more solemn than she'd ever heard him before.

"So, Nina? You did most the work designing FLEIJA. Do you think you could stop it as well?"

LLLLLLLLLLLL

There were two guards, dressed in full grey armour and carrying rifles, posted outside the door to a storage room in the Avalon's officers' quarters. When they saw Lelouch approaching from down the passageway they straightened their backs, and he waved to them dismissively.

"I'm going inside," he announced simply, stopping to stand before them, no room for compromise in his tone. He cast his gaze upon one man, meeting his eyes through his helmet, then slowly looked down at the keypad built into the wall beside him. "Open the door."

"At once, Your Majesty." The soldier complied, taking one hand from his gun and turning to the electronic lock. As he began typing in a series of numbers, the other guard spoke.

"Shall we accompany you, Your Majesty?"

There was a ding of confirmation and the door slid open. Lelouch stared straight ahead.

"Wait for me here. I won't be long."

The Emperor stepped into the room and let the door automatically close behind him. The overhead lights were already on, shining down on bare walls and a tiled floor, and only one object to be found, everything else having been cleared out a few days prior.

Sitting in one corner and bound in a white straightjacket was a man; blonde and blue-eyed, handsome and young - still only a teenager. Boredom rested heavy against his features, swiftly replaced with annoyance as he glanced over at Lelouch.

"Lelouch the Usurper," Gino grumbled. "What do you want?"

The morning after Schneizel and Suzaku declared their intent to overthrow Charles, their coup ending in disaster, Bismarck bargained with the prince for the Knight of Three's release. Typical of him, Schneizel immediately allowed it, stating there was no point in holding him any longer. He had no fear of retaliation. Such was the power of the Second Prince of Britannia, he knew, not even the Knights of the Round could rightly accuse him of treason and remain unscathed.

Not that Gino minded if it meant getting off the Avalon with his Tristan and away from the prime minister.

The young Knight had no real love for Bismarck - he was more a collection of epic deeds than a man that one could know. He was severe and unapproachable, and for Gino, was hardly more than a respectable old war hero he hoped to one day surpass. Nevertheless, he was a welcome sight as he stomped into the room where Gino was being held and had him released, his mere presence causing Schneizel's guards to quake in fear.

From there, for a whole month, they went into hiding. It was Bismarck's most sincere belief that Charles zi Britannia was lost, and Prince Odysseus would soon take the Throne. And of course, since they had sworn oaths to the previous emperor, they, along with the other Knights of the Round, would likely be swept away and replaced before long as well. Schneizel did have his elder brother's ear, after all.

Then Lelouch arrived back into the mix.

Gino was as stunned as everyone else who had known the boy as a commoner student and nothing more, but Bismarck confirmed it for him, apparently having known his mother at one point. Even more shocking, the Black Prince had allegedly killed Emperor Charles, and when questioned on it, Bismarck seemed terrified of allowing him to rule. His frantic condemnations of the new emperor while he clutched at his blind left eye were at odds with his usually austere demeanor, yet Gino had to agree, the Vice-President of Ashford Academy had usurped his crown, and had to be removed.

The first order of business for the two Knights then was to assemble the remaining Knights of Charles, and quite to their chagrin Bismarck and Gino had mixed results.

Nonnette Enneagram had apparently died in battle against the Black Knights on the Polish Front before their leaders and Schneizel agreed to a ceasefire. Monica Kruszewski had remained in Area 11, and upon hearing from Bismarck and his plan to depose Lelouch, joined up with them right away. Dorothea Ernst came some time later from her posting in France.

As for Anya Alstreim, she was gone, as if from existence itself. She didn't respond to Gino when he texted her phone, and there was no reaching the Mordred either.

When all of them were accounted for, the Knights of the Round still loyal to Charles numbered only four, yet, Bismarck reasoned, it would just have to do.

The next month had passed quickly, the Knights of the Round spending it gathering forces loyal to the old regime, or in mere opposition to Lelouch for whatever personal reasons, finding them in no short supply as the Noble Insurrections grew in intensity, and fear was rampant across the Empire. Once proud soldiers loyal to the Empire banded together under Bismarck as rebels, a twist of fate that would have been unthinkable just a few months before, and when they could not afford to wait any longer, they descended upon Pendragon.

They should have been invincible. Justice was on their side. Yet they were defeated, and Gino Weinberg, the last Knight of the Round Table, somehow still alive where all his companions were slain, was humiliatingly placed under arrest.

And now he was here, held aboard the Avalon by a treacherous prince once again.

Lelouch looked down upon Gino, restrained and at his mercy, and resisted the urge to smirk.

"I just wanted to tell you that the Black Knights have used FLEIJA on Pendragon City. We are now at war with them once more."

The Emperor showed no sign of distress as he spoke of the death of millions. His face was an impenetrable mask, from which Gino could only glean cold logic and supreme authority. It was at odds with what he knew of his one-time senior at Ashford, yet somehow it seemed to him oddly appropriate.

"What?" Gino breathed in disbelief. Pendragon was gone? There was no way - he couldn't accept it. It was impossible, surely! "You can't be serious. You can't be!"

"I can provide proof if my word isn't good enough for you. Perhaps we can ring up a general you were on good terms with before you joined Bismarck's Rebellion?"

Gino watched Lelouch, checking and rechecking, searching for any sign of deceit in the king's expression. A small quirk of the lips, a twitch at the edge of the eye...! Yet there was nothing. Lelouch was being honest, or at least, as honest as any politician - even unelected as he was - could be.

Horror filled the Knight of Three, the thought of Pendragon being swallowed by pink light the same as Tokyo sending a shiver down his spine. He focused all his willpower on staying cool though. He could not show weakness in front of Lelouch.

"Why are you telling me this?" he wondered.

Gino was a prisoner now, his previous rank meaning nothing, yet here was the Emperor himself paying him a special visit. It didn't make sense, and it got Gino's suspicions crawling.

Again though, Lelouch showed no sign of unease. He met Gino's gaze, a flame of red seeming to burn just behind his purple irises, and answered plainly.

"As a former Knight of Britannia, I thought you at least deserved to know." He stood still and silent for a moment, letting his words sink in, then turned his back. "That was all."

The Emperor began to leave, Gino watching him go, incredulous, his mouth hanging wordlessly open. The metal door to the storage room opened and Lelouch stepped through the threshold, and then...

"Wait."

Lelouch stopped mid-step and slowly turned his head back to look upon Gino once more. The Knight was straining against his straightjacket, leaning forward, his brows knitted and his lips parted, pleading gently.

"Tell me..." he whispered.

"Hm?" Lelouch hummed back in query.

"How many...?"

Lelouch turned fully to the Knight of Three and let the door close behind him again.

"The radius of destruction was a hundred kilometers," he said, knowing exactly what Gino was referring to. He spoke without sarcasm and without sorrow. Traitor though he may have been, Lelouch explained the fate of Pendragon at the hands of FLEIJA to Gino without malice. "The Palace District, the metropolitan area, and the suburbs were all caught in the blast. There were no survivors."

Gino clenched his mouth tight, trying his best to rein in his emotions. Right now they wanted to explode in a hundred different directions at once, but he couldn't let them. He was beaten and dishonoured, but he still had some pride left. He would not show weakness before the Emperor.

"But..." His mind raced, desperately attempting to drudge out the correct words amid all the others filling his thoughts. "The Royal Family... Are they alright?"

Aside from Schneizel, Cornelia, and Nunnally, every member of Lelouch's direct family had been in Pendragon when the FLEIJA was launched. Odysseus, Guinevere, Carine, Castor and Pollux, and so many others - those few of his brothers and sisters and their families that still lived after years of intrigue at court and the brutality of Zero's judgement, had all been in the city, hadn't they? Lelouch hadn't really thought about it until now. It was a strange thing to realize, and an even stranger feeling to consider. Once, he thought he would feel elated if all his siblings were gone. Now though, when they truly were, all he could feel was emptiness.

Slowly, Lelouch met Gino's eyes again and stood, watching him, studying him, and replied with darkness in his voice.

"There were no survivors."

Gino had no reply to this. There could be no words. Instead, he let his gaze fall, and head bow.

Lelouch watched on, quiet and polite, allowing the Knight to think undisturbed, the truth running its inevitable course and acceptance gradually setting in.

"You're lucky I had you transferred here," he began after a time. "If I'd left you in the dungeon below the palace you would have died as well."

Gino's head bobbed up, annoyance back on his lips, mixed with curiosity around his eyes.

"So, why did you move me?"

It was a question he'd been pondering for some time now. Gino never received an official trial after Suzaku defeated him and brought him before the Emperor. He only spent a couple days in a prison cell before being dragged onto the Avalon, and when he demanded answers, he was gagged.

Lelouch regarded him, no feeling making it onto his face.

"I'm sure in passing you must have heard I was going to meet with the UFN in Japan."

Indeed, Gino had heard about the scheduled Britannia-UFN conference. The guards keeping watch over him had been discussing it once when they brought him food.

There was a twinge of recognition from Gino, the smallest of tells, confirming it for Lelouch, and he continued.

"There was always the chance it could go badly, as it has now, so I wanted you close by."

To this, Gino leaned back, disgust filling him up, and he spat.

"You want me to fight for you?"

"I don't."

This made Gino pause.

Lelouch shook his head, keeping his eyes on the Knight, then, brows arching and a sudden lofty fervor coming into his voice, he explained.

"I want you to fight for your people. I understand, you don't trust me because I killed my father - your king. But no matter your disagreements with how I gained my crown, every man, woman, and child in Britannia is now depending on me to lead them through this crisis. So don't fight for me. Fight for them. Lift up your sword once more. Help me to avenge Pendragon and take justice for our fallen."

There was a long moment of silence between them as Lelouch finished, both he and Gino staring into each other, past each other, judging each other. Many seconds passed, but eventually Gino's expression softened, then hardened anew.

"Tristan flies only for Britannia," he muttered. "You have the loyalty of the Knight of Three. For now."

Lelouch chuckled in reply.

"Of course. Thank you, Gino. I'm grateful."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL

LLLLLLLLLLLL


End file.
